Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from Getty Research Institute https://archive.org/details/travelsinnortham12murr I TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA DURING THE YEARS 1834, 1835, & 1836. INCLUDING A SUMMER RESIDENCE WITH THE PAWNEE TRIBE OF INDIANS, IN THE REMOTE PRAIRIES OF THE MISSOURI, AND A VISIT TO CUBA AND THE AZORE ISLANDS. BY THE HON. CHARLES AUGUSTUS MURRAY. “ Le voyager me semble un exercise profitable : Tame y a une continuelle exereitation, a remarquer les choses incogniies et nouvelles ; et jene s$ache pas meilleure escole a faijonner la vie que de luy proposer incessamment la diversite de tant d’autres fantasies et usances, et luy faire gouter une si perpetuelle variety de forme de nostre nature .” — Essais dt Montaigne, liv. 3, chap. ix. IN TWO VOLUMES, VOL. I. NEW YORK : HARPER & BROTHERS, 82 CLIFF-STREET. 1S39. DEDICATION TO THE QUEEN. Madam, It is with mingled feelings of anxiety and gratitude that I avail myself of Your Majesty’s gracious permission to inscribe to you the following Narrative. It pretends to no other merit than that of truth ; and its most ambi- tious object will be obtained, if it be found to afford any useful or interesting information, and thus to beguile a leisure hour stolen from Your Majesty’s more grave and weighty occupations. It has been customary to clothe a dedication in the language of panegyric : I will not presume to follow the tempting precedent. Your Majesty’s qualities will be attested by an Empire, and be recorded by History. Nevertheless, I trust I may venture, unblamed, to ex- press, on this occasion, my earnest desire, and my heart- felt prayer, that your reign may be long and happy, and that Britain may hereafter look back with regret and with pride on a Sovereign, who blended the wisdom and energy of Queen Elizabeth with the more winning and attractive attributes of her sex. I am Madam, With the deepest attachment and respect, Your Majesty’s dutiful Subject and Servant, Charles Augustus Murray. Buckingham Palace , Jane , 1839. PREFACE. It is very seldom that the journal of a traveller appears before the public unaccompanied by a prefatory declara- tion that it was not his original intention to publish, and that he has been reluctantly induced by the importunities of his friends to inform the world of the extent and par- ticulars of his travel. A statement of this kind usually meets with as much credit as the laboured impromptu of a wit, or the professions of diffidence made by a practised speaker : as it is a matter in which the public are so little interested, I am surprised that authors should take so much pains in attempting to explain it. Most travellers keep a record of the scenes through which they pass, without having, at the time, any definite in- tentions as to publication, leaving their after-decision to be determined by circumstances ; this is generally the case with persons who travel without any scientific object, and is, probably, applicable to the following narrative. Some readers may be disposed to inquire why I have allowed two or three years to elapse between the writing and the publishing of this journal. I can offer no other satisfaction to their curiosity than by informing them, that the delay has been occasioned by circumstances of a private and domestic nature. The careless arrange- ment of materials, in these pages, will furnish, I am afraid, more than abundant evidence of the fact, that the A* VI PREFACE. manuscript has been untouched during the interval, and that the original copy has been placed in the hands of my publisher, with such few verbal corrections and additions as my present occupations have permitted me to make. As the state of the Canadas has excited, of late, so much attention, I feel it my duty (in order to prevent the disappointment of those who might expect some in- formation regarding them in these volumes) to state that my tour did not extend through those extensive and interesting provinces. CONTENTS OP THE FIRST VOLUME. CHAPTER I. Embark at Liverpool. — Cabin and Steerage Passengers. — Whimsical Distress of a Military Captain. — A heavy Sea. — Portuguese Man-of- war.— A False Alarm. — May Morning at Sea. — A Leak sprung : our perilous Situation, — Reflections under Danger. — Agony of mind in one of the Passengers. — Men at the Pumps. — Increase of Danger. — The Cargo hove overboard. — Merciful Dispensation of the Creator. — Make for the Azores. — Dreadful Night and gloomy Morning. — Pre- paration for the worst. — The Author’s providential Escape. — Offices of Devotion. — Resignation of the female Passengers. A Sail in Sight. — Departure of some of the Passengers in the Lady Raffles, bound for London. — Threatened Mutiny. — Resolute Conduct of a young Passenger. — Arrival off Fayal. .... Page 13 CHAPTER II. Approach to Fayal. — Peak of Pico. — Reception by the British Consul. — The Town : its declining State. — Politeness of the People. — Sin- gular Custom. — Inauguration of the Emperor and Empress of Fayal. — The Fayal Authorities. — Agriculture. — Donkeys. — Volcanic For* mation of the Island. — Market Days. — Cruelty to an Animal. — De- lightful Climate. — Rock Pigeons. — A quaint old Hunter. — Perilous Ascent. — A good Shot. — The American Consul and his Daughters. — Beautiful Orange Garden. — Exquisite Scenery. — Evening Parties. — Absurd Custom. — Successful Attempt to reform it. . . . 26 CHAPTER III. A Marine Excursion. — Novel Mode of Landing. — Dinner with Captain L. — A Portuguese Ecclesiastic. — Latin Conversation with him. — Pico Wine. — Excursion resumed. — Disagreeable Quarters. — A Storm. — Providential Escape — Velas. — Volcanic Craters. — A buried Church. — Unlucky Search for Game. — Female Costume. — Fuel. — Return to Fayal. — The Waverly again ready for Sea. — Serious Af- fray — Its Consequences. — A Street Squabble. — Cowardly Threats. — Leave Fayal. ......... 36 Yin CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. A dead Calm. — Scant Allowance of Provision during the Voyage. — A Whale shot. — Anchor off Sandy Hook. — The Quarantine Station. — View in the Narrows. — Variety of Shipping. — Quarantine Hospitals. — New York. — Iced Punch. — Land at New York. — An American Table d ’ hote.- Oppressive Heat. — Episcopalian Church. — Costume of American Ladies. — Visit to Rockaway. — American Omnibus. — Desolate Marsh. — Reception by Sir C. Vaughan. — Rockaway. — Mint Julep. — The celebrated Compounder of this Nectar. . Page 50 CHAPTER V. Expedition up the Hudson River. — Scene of the Death of Hamilton. — Cooper, the American Novelist. — Scenery of West Point. — Nursery for the American Army. — The Cadets. — Albany. — The Patroon. — Railroad to Saratoga. — Watering Places. — Mineral Water. — Ballston. — The Trenton Falls. — An Extra Exclusive. — The Prison at Auburn. — Miserable Appearance of the Prisoners. — Geneva. — Canandaigua. — Eminent Scottish Agriculturist. — Genesee. — Mr. W. — Fertile Meadows. — Falls of Niagara 58 CHAPTER VI. Embark on Lake Ontario. — Toronto. — Reception by the Governor. — Lake of The Thousand Islands. — The Cholera at Montreal and Que- bec. — Journey towards Lake Champlain. — Gloomy Road. — Burling- ton. — Students in the College of that Town. — An Obliging Land- lord. — Road to Montpelier. — The Camel’s Hump. — American Libe- rality. — Accommodations at the Taverns. — John Bull a bad Traveller. — Hanover. — Concord. — A Criminal Trial in this Town. — Amoskeag. — Exchange of Steeds. — Lowell: its Lucrative Trade. — Approach to Boston. — Arrival in that Town. — The Tremont House. — Mr. Webster. — Tone of Conversation in Boston. . . . .70 CHAPTER VII. Return to New York. — Heavy Fog. — Exploring Party. — Society in New York. — Departure for Philadelphia. — Exhibition of Wild Beasts in Bordentown. — Arrival in Philadelphia. — A lineal Descendant of William Wallace. — Arrival at Washington. — British Legation. — Tour to the West of Virginia. — Wretched Roads. — A Disaster. — A Negro Samaritan. — Friendly Landlord. — Arrival at Leesburgh. — Search for Game. — Capture of a large Gobbler. — Fruit called Per- simmon. — Remarkable Duel. — Romney. — Excursion in pursuit of Deer. — American Agriculturist and Hunter. — Invidious Comparison. —Hospitable Laird. — Republican Doctrine of Equality : ludicrous Anomalies arising from this — Survey of various Tracts of Land. — Progress of Agriculture. — Excursion to the Glades of Alleghany : Scenery : the Inhabitants. — Private Entertainment. — Mr. Chisholm. — Recollections of Scotland. — Scotch Settlers. — Field Sports in the Alleghanies 81 CONTENTS. IX CHAPTER VIII. Return to Washington. — The Capital. — The Senate.— The Ladies’ Gallery. — Debate on the relations with France. — Mr. Clay. — Mr. Webster. — Public Demonstration on the Death of a Citizen. — At- tempt upon the Life of the President : his miraculous Escape. — Mr. Calhoun. — Mount Vernon. — Observations on Washington’s Tomb. — Singular Occurrence illustrative of the State of Society in Lou- isiana. — Melancholy Appearance of the City of Washington : its Site. — Method of assessing its Inhabitants. — Absence of local attach- ment in American Agriculturists contrasted with the Scottish Love of Country Page 98 CHAPTER IX. Quit Washington for a Tour in Virginia. — Voyage down the Potomac in the Champion Steamer. — Land Journey to Fredericksburgh. — Wretched Road. — Arrival at Fredericksburgh. — The Town. — House of Judge Coalter : hospitable reception by that Gentleman. — Writers in the Public Press. — Journey from Fredericksburgh to Richmond. — Perpetual Danger of being upset. — Arrival at Richmond. — The Town: its Society. — Judge Marshall : his House. — Ladies of Rich- mond. — Embark on the James River. — Intermarriages of the Resi- dents on its Shores — Plantations cultivated by Slaves. — Treatment of the Slaves. — Necessity for corporal Punishment. — Expense of keeping Slaves. — The Negro Character. — Domestic and farm-labour- ing Slaves. — Overseers. — Marriage of Slaves : their Religion. — Agriculture on the Banks of James River. — Law of Primogeniture. — Embark in the Patrick Henry Steamer. — Region visited by Sir Walter Raleigh. — Cruelty of early Settlers. — Jamestown. — Indif- ference of the American People to sepulchral Relics. — Ruins of the former Governor’s Palace. — College endowed by William and Mary. — New Fortification at Old Point. — Arrival at Norfolk. — Bay of the Chesapeake. — Return to Washington. . . , . .112 CHAPTER X. Morning Ride. — Delightful Season. — Shrubs and Flowers. — The Mock- ing-bird. — Visit to a Flower Garden. — Preparations for a Tour in the West. — Parting from Friends. — Leave Washington for Balti- more. — Fearful Ravages of the Cholera. — Incident in the Museum at Baltimore. — Arrival at Philadelphia. — Start for Pittsburgh. — Lovely Prospect. — Lancaster Vale. — German Settlers. — The Susquehannah. —The Juniata. — Track Boats. — A Newspaper Reporter. — Inquisi- tive Western Traveller. — Walk to Holydaysburgh. — Nocturnal An- noyance. — Passage across the Alleghanies. — Arrival at Johnstown. — The River Conimah. — Railroad. — The Alleghany River. — Pitts- burgh. — The Market. — Mr. Rapp’s Settlement. . . . 130 X CONTENTS. CHAPTER XI. Embark on the Ohio. — Banks of the River. — Wheeling. — Remark- able Indian Mound. — Risings of the River. — Arrival at Cincin- nati. — The Town. — The Museum.— Manufacture. — Mrs. Trollope’s Bazaar — her erroneous Statements. — Prosperity of Cincinnati. — Hospitality of its Inhabitants. — American Servants. — The Cholera. — Contrast between the States of Ohio and Kentucky. — Character of the Kentuckians. — Brutal Method of Fighting. , Page 144 CHAPTER XII. Leave Cincinnati for Louisville. — Reminiscences. — Louisville. — Re- publican Incongruity. — Swearing in the Western States. — Start for Lexington. — Beautiful Scenery. — Curious Sermon. — Arrival at Lex- ington. — Meeting with Miss Martineau. — General Shelby’s Farm. — Situation of Lexington. — Its public Institutions. — System of Education in America. — Lunatic Asylum. — Evening Parties. — Mu- sical Soiree. — A Serenade. — Mr. Clay. — Return to Louisville. — Embark for Saint Louis. — Passage down the Ohio. — Robbers’ Cave. — The “ Father of Waters.” 155 CHAPTER XIII. Situation of St. Louis. — The Catholic new Church. — General Clarke. — Embark for Fort Leavenworth. — Requisites for a Tour on the Prai- rie. — The Missouri — Rapidity of its Stream. — Islands. — Fatal Case of Cholera. — Changeful Climate. — Floating Obstructions. — Settle- ments on the Missouri. — Scarcity of Game. — Gigantic Trees. — Fer- tility of the Soil. — Precarious Navigation. — -Magnificent Thunder- storm. — State of Health on board the Steam-boat. — Tedious Progress. Mouth of Osage River. — Indian Painting. — Town of Booneville. — Price of Provisions. — Narrow Escape. — Village of Liberty. — Outfit for the Prairie. — A small Prairie. — Swampy Wood. — Reception at Fort Leavenworth — Prospect from the Heights in its Neighbourhood. — Indian Tribes — Commemoration of the 4th of July. — Pawnee Visiters. — Indian Chorus. — Picturesque Scene. — Arrangements to accompany the Pawnees to their Nation. . . . .167 CHAPTER XIV. Pawnee chiefs with whom I started. — Leave Fort Leavenworth. — Roll- ing Prairie. — Halting Place. — Loss of Horses. — Flock of Perroquets. — Our stray Horses. — Indian Appetite. — Accidents by the Way. — Overtake the Pawnee Deputation. — Esculent Roots. — Deer-stalking in the Prairie. — A Misfortune. — Cross the Great Nimahaw River. — Party in Search of Elk. — Rejoin the Camp. — Tired Horse. — False Alarm of Chill and Fever. — The Kanzas River. — My Dog killed and eaten. — Fatiguing Travelling. — Friendly Reception. — Effect of whis- key on the Indians. — Indian Village. — Occupations of the Men, Wo- men, and Children. — The old Chief. — Buffalo Meat. — Order of March. — Pawnee Summer Lodge. — Medicine. — First Night in the Pawnee Lodge. — Dogs. 183 CONTENTS. XI CHAPTER XY. Lavatory in the Prairie. — Picturesque Scene. — A “ Brave.” — Quarrel with him. — Desolate Prairie.— Prairie Dogs.— Owls and Rattlesnakes. — First View of Buffalo. — Chase of Buffalo. — Indian Butchery. — Horses stolen by the Ricaras. — Indian Method of Horse-stealing. — Discussion as to the expediency of making Reprisals. — Present of a Buffalo Robe. — Indian Character. — A Feast. — Indian Curiosity. 203 CHAPTER XVI. Indian Women. — Children. — Nursery Discipline. — Girls. — Courtship. — Marriage. — A Missionary. — Occupation and Labours of married Women. — Degradation of the half-civilized Tribes. — Education and Life of Indian Men. — An Indian Dandy. — His elaborate Toilet — His Effeminacy. — Game of the Javelin. — Indian Courage. . 215 CHAPTER XVII. Ceremonies attendant on the Buffalo Chase. — Adventures with Buffalo. — Number of Beasts slain. — Night Attack of the Shiennes. — The Con- flict. — War Songs. — A Council. — Religion. — Great Spirits and other Deities. — Religious Ceremonies. — Notions of Futurity. — Months and Years. — Office of Soldiers. — A “ Cerne,” or “ Surround.” — Buffalo Hunt. — Preparation of Buffalo Skins. — Strange Fuel. — March re- sumed. — Otoe Chief. — Deadly Feud between two Brothers. — Great Medicine Feast. — Impromptu Oration. — Indian Eloquence. — Grace before Meat. — Rapid Feeding. — Method of Invitation to a Feast. — Contrasted Temperature. — Change in the Aspect of the Country. 227 CHAPTER XVIII. A Stampedo. — Number of Horses in the Encampment. — Moccasins. — Prickly Pears : Feet wounded by them. — Indian Surgery. — Improvi- dent Inactivity. — Desire to return to the Civilized World. — Indian Extortion. — Medical Faculty. — Mode of Practice. — Stroll after Nightfall. — Narrow Escape. — Scarcity of Water. — Haitans. — Buf- falo Hunt. — Dinner on raw Buffalo Meat. — Long Shot at an Ante- lope. — Advantage of the Bow over the Rifle in Buffalo Hunting. — Value of the Buffalo to the Western Tribes. — An Accident. — Extra- ordinary Sport. — Bird Nesting. — My Library. — Thoughts of Home. — Herd of Buffalo. 243 CHAPTER XIX. Camp moved. — Medicine Council. — Preparation for Hunting. — Martial Appearance of the Chief : his Costume. — The Author’s Hunting- dress. — Conversation with the Chief. — Equipment of the Warriors. — Forced March. — Attack the Herds. — Dangerous Conflict. — Sorry Steed. — Unhorsed Indian. — A young >Buil shot. — A Hunter’s Meal. — Suspicious Intruders. — Perplexing Situation. — A Friend in Need. — Return to the Camp 262 CONTENTS. Xil CHAPTER XX. Medicine Ceremonies. — Instance of ungovernable Temper and Cruelty in a young Indian. — Indian Horse-dealers. — Bargaining Anecdotes. — Hiring a Guide. — Knavery of the Great Chief. — Hunting Party of Delawares and Shawnees. — Conversation with them.— Dislike of the Pawnees to their new Guests.— Pride of the Delawares. — Unequal Conflict. — Skilful Retreat.^Delaware and Shawnee Languages. — Departure of the Visiters Page 277 CHAPTER XXI. Interview with the Great Chief. — Telescope regained. — Stock of Pro- visions for the Journey. — Indian Knavery. — Disinterested Genero- sity. — Exchange of Horses. — Message from the Great Chief. — A “ Talk.” — Invitation to the Great Chief. — Presents made to him. — Want of Cleanliness among the Pawnees. — Splendid Daybreak. — Valedictory Speeches. — A vicious Horse. — Journey homeward com- menced. — Herd of Buffalo. — Successful Shot. — Evening Camp. — Musquitoes. — Serious Accident. — Defection of our Guide. — Return to the Pawnees. — Repulsive Scene. — Indian Mourning. — Reception at the Lodge of Sa-nl-tsa-rish 288 CHAPTER XXII. Commission intrusted to the Canadian Interpreter. — Arrangement with two Indian Guides. — Pae-tae-lae-cha’rd — Indications of his Malignity. — Leave the Pawnees. — Harangue of the Guide. — Dinner. — March resumed. — Fearful Storm. — Indian Superstition. — Morning after the Storm. — Ramble in Search of Game. — Anteiope. — A narrow Escape. — An Indian Hunter. — Conversation with him. — Lose my Party. — Visit to an Indian Camp. — My Reception there. . . . 303 CHAPTER XXIII. Unpleasant Predicament. — Set forth in search of my Party. — Night Wanderings. — Rejoin my Friends — Journey resumed. — Evening Camp. — Prairie Wolves. — Scotch Servant. — The American Lad. — Conversation with the Guide. — Enormous Rattlesnake. — Indian Manoeuvre. — Danger from Snakes. — An Antelope Shot. — A Bath. — Our Feast. — Meeting with Pawnee Hunters. — Their Conference with our Guides — Consultation with my Companions. — Desertion of the Guides. — Difficulties of our Situation. — Commencement of my Office as Guide. ........ 315 TRAVELS IN THE UNITED STATES, etc. CHAPTER I. Embark at Liverpool. — Cabin and Steerage Passengers. — Whimsical Dis- tress of a Military Captain. — A heavy Sea. — Portuguese Man-of-war. — A False Alarm. — May Morning at Sea. — A Leak sprung : our perilous Situation. — Reflections under Danger. — Agony of mind in one of the Passengers — Men at the Pumps. — Increase of Danger. — The Cargo hove overboard. — Merciful Dispensation of the Creator. — Make for the Azores. — Dreadful Night and gloomy Morning. — Preparation for the worst. — The Author’s providential Escape. — Offices of Devotion. — Resignation of the female Passengers. — A Sail in Sight. — Departure of some of the Passengers in the Lady Raffles, bound for London. — Threatened Mutiny. — Resolute Conduct of a young Passenger. — Arrival off Fayal. On the 18th of April 1834, 1 embarked at Liverpool, on board the American ship Waveriy, bound for New York. Although not one of those regular packets which have attained so just a celebrity for their beauty, comfort, and sailing qualities, she was a fine new vessel of 530 tons ; and as I was accompanied by an admiral in the British Navy when I secured my berth, I con- sidered myself thereby justified in my selection. We sailed at 5 a. m. with a sleady light breeze from the E. S. E. The cabin passengers consisted of three ladies with nurses, maids, &c., three or four young gentlemen, who were going to settle in Canada, an architect, a captain in the army, a German wine-mer- chant and his son, and a dissenting minister. About a hundred and fifty emigrants of the poorest class, mostly Irish, were in the steerage, and I never saw a more ragged squalid assemblage than that which now thron- ged the deck of the Waveriy. Poor fellows ! few of B 14 PORTUGUESE MAN OF WAR. them seemed to have friends or kindred on the shore that we were leaving, and they sat huddled together round the long boat and the hen-coops, while some of the sailors and passengers were waving hands and handkerchiefs amid cheers for our safe voyage, and the thousand farewell devices invented by the ingenuity of gdfection. *The breeze freshened from the eastward, and bore us merrily down the Channel : the ship bounded forward under a press of canvass ; while the light spray dashed from her bows, and the line of foam in her wake, joined to a motion too perceptible to be unfelt by landsmen, soon told us that we were on the open sea. On the morning of the 19th, I heard a voice in the next cabin to mine, singing with a faint attempt at cheerfulness ; opening my door to catch the air and words, I discov- ered that the vocalist was the military captain, who was endeavoring to cheat himself into good spirits by sing- ing “ I’m rather sick,” “ I feel very queer,” to the tunes of “ Home, sweet home,” “ I’d be a Butterfly,” and other prevalent airs. For a week, the wind continued favorable, and we made an average way of eight or nine knots an hour; on the 26th it freshened so much that our top-gallant- sails were taken in and the topsails reefed. A heavy sea “ got up,” and most of the passengers (myself inclu- ded) were afflicted with that oppressive nausea which the worthy captain described in the above pathetic strains : the ship rolled heavily, and six water-casks, which had been faultily secured in the steerage, broke loose, were instantly staved in, and drenched the unfor- tunate steerage passengers, causing no little alarm and confusion among them. On this day I saw for the first time that beautiful little wanderer of the ocean called by the sailors “ the Portu- guese man-of-war :” he spreads his light sail in all weathers, and delights to float lazily in a calm ; but it is when an angry restless sea is lit up by a fitful sunshine, that he is seen to most advantage. He dances so buoy- antly on the crest of the waves ; and the transparent filmy wings with which he sails along, give back so FALSE ALARM. 15 many varied colours to the sun, that few of the tiny in- habitants of air or earth are so pretty to look upon.* On the 27th and two following days it blew very hard, and the wind having shifted to the N. W. we were obliged to lie-to for many hours, An accident occurred which was productive of temporary alarm. I was walking on the quarter-deckt with the captain about mid-day, when a cry arose that the “ ship was on lire !” The ladies’ cabin was filled with smoke accompanied with a strong smell of burning wood ; one of its fair tenants fainted away, another screamed, and all jumped from their berths and sofas in confusion and affright. — Captain Phillips was preparing for a descent into the lower deck to examine, and make the requisite exer- tions, when he suddenly recollected the employment of some sailors astern ; and, hastening thither, we found a tar busily employed in burning a hole in the ear of a bucket with a red-hot marlingspike, the smoke and smell of which operation passed directly through the stern-windows into the ladies’ cabin, and occasioned the alarm above mentioned. It was of short duration, but the first impression caused by the cry of fire, when there is a heavy .sea running, and no land within a thousand miles, is not by any means agreeable, and I confess that I breathed more freely when the doubt was resolved by the old sailor and his hot iron. We might feel disposed to quarrel with that rapidity of thought which thus induces man to invest smoke with the terrors of fire, were it not for the compensating power of mind which also enables him to catch glim- merings of hope where reason and experience would despair. * The Portuguese man-of-war is of the “ Medusa” species, and its proper name in natural history is “ Physalia.” When taken out of the water it is very small, and covered with poisonous prickles, producing on the skin (if carelessly handled) an irritation similar to that caused by a nettle. t I deprecate the criticism of nautical readers, and beg to inform them, that I use synonymously “ quarter-deck”and “podp,” in the belief that (although these may be technical errors) my meaning will be intelligible. 16 MAY MORNING AT SEA. The morning 1 of the 1st of May was bright and cheer- ful, the clouds were broken into light fleecy masses, which now obscured, now revealed the rays of the sun, with that changeful alternation which gives to the “ soote season” its well-deserved character for life, and youth, and mirth, on which every poet, of ancient and of modern times, has exhausted the richest treasures of his fancy : but for' us, in the Waverly, there were no opening blossoms, “no carolling larks, no new-born flocks in rustic dance,” to usher in the “ flowery May and as I looked over the ship’s side on the deep green waste of waters, busy thought carried me back to the smiling valleys of my father-land, and even Jack in the Green and Maid Marian, with the swarthy imps dan- cing round them in the streets of London, were, for a time, remembered with regret. The evening closed in without any indication of storm or danger. About 7 o’clock p. m. 1 was whiling away my time at a game of drafts with a passenger, when Mr. (who being the only person in our party who had made the voyage to New York, was a kind of self-appointed cabin-oracle as to weather, longitude, &c.) appeared in the cabin ; I felt a convulsive movement of his hand as he laid it on my arm, and on looking up, I observed that his face was white and haggard with agitation ; at length it found utterance in the following words : — u Sir, the ship has sprung a leak !” I defy any writer to describe exactly, or any reader to understand, the first sensations occasioned by an announcement of this nature, unless he has experienced them ; for each suc- ceeding suggestion, as the mind glanced over it with the rapidity of lightning, only seemed to magnify the peril of our situation, and almost to shut out hope ; we were about 1200 miles from Liverpool and much more distant from New York, a high sea running, and only provided with boats which, in a calm, might contain one fourth of the number on board. The incessant creaking of the pumps, and the voice of the mate urging the men to continued exertion, showed that Mr. ’s information was but too correct. In answer to my further inquiry he told me that there A LEAK SPRUNG, 17 was much water in the hold, and that as far as he could learn it had neither diminished nor gained ground since the pumps began to work. Here was at least some ground for hope, so I intreated him not to communicate the fact to the ladies who were all in the after cabin, but to wait until morning, when, perhaps, some favor- able change might occur : he acquiesced in this view ; but having gone into the ladies’ cabin to speak to his wife, a shrill scream from within soon apprized me that either his face or his tongue had told all. In a few minutes I went on deck and saw Captain Phillips alone on the poop. Being well aware how ilk timed and how hateful to all seamen, under such cir- cumstances, are the inquiries of passengers respecting u danger” and such particulars, I merely said, u Cap- tain, can I be of any use ?” The answer being, “ Thank you sir, not to-night,” I went again below and retired to my own cabin. There are seasons when the mind, shut out from all intercourse with the world around, communes with it- self and with the Almighty who formed it. When these meditations are aroused and quickened by the prospect of death, of a death, too, where the spirits and the frame are not excited by exertion, they embrace the past, the present, and the future, with a comprehensiveness and rapidity almost supernatural ; conscience wakes from the drowsy bed where it has been too long a sluggard, and memory, as if touched by TthuriePs spear, starts into gigantic power and energy. Together, they draw back the veil from scenes long past and long forgotten, and present a picture for the soul to contemplate, so wide in its range, so minute in its details, so terribly faith- ful in its representations, that she would turn from it in dread and despair, were not the horizon lighted up by the sunshine of mercy unspeakably bright and boundless in extent. Of the thoughts that crowded on my own mind, du- ring the first watches of this night, it is not fitting that I should say anything. I will only record with- grati- tude that before midnight I fell fast asleep, and when I awoke at the usual hour on the following morning, I b* 18 MEN AT THE PUMPS. might have thought the scene of the preceding evening a dream, had not the continued and ceaseless creaking of the pumps assured me of its reality. On reaching the deck, I learned that the leak was much in the same state, and that the incessant pumping throughout the night had not diminished the water in the hold. Few of the passengers appeared at breakfast, and, among those few, but little conversation passed. — I could not help feeling for the irrepressible agony of mind evinced by H , the German wine-merchant, who had crossed the Atlantic to bring over his son, a fine boy of twelve years old. From my speaking to him in his native language he was more communica- tive with me than with the other passengers, and taking my arm in the greatest agitation he said, “ Is it not too hard ? I care not for myself, but my poor boy, whom I have with such difficulty separated from his mother, must I see him drowned before my eyes ?” I endea- voured to comfort him with hopes which I did not en- tertain very strongly myself. In such emergencies, exertion is both a duty and a resource : and, hastening on deck, I found the captain busy in dividing all the able-bodied men on board into “ gangs,” who were to work the pumps successively, each taking an hour’s labor at a time : every gang con- tained eight men, four of whom rested and worked al- ternately for an hour, when another was called to re- place them ; by thus dividing the fatigue among so many, it was hoped that we might hold out until we reached land ; and as the wind blew strong from the west, and the ship was found to make more water when beating against the sea than when going free, the cap- tain, directing his whole efforts to preserve life, put her about, and made all sail for the nearest port of Europe. Meantime I threw off my coat, jumped down among the Paddies on deck, joined myself to a “ gang,” and pumped away lustily, endeavoring to keep up their spi- rits, and stimulate their exertions. The younger pas- sengers in the cabin did so likewise, and the unanimity and good humour with which the labour was performed contributed much to banish the recollection of our dan- CARGO HOVE OVERBOARD. 19 ger, and the gloomy thoughts which it would otherwise have engendered. All our efforts, however, although continued without intermission for twenty-four hours, seemed likely to prove unavailing, for on the morning of the 3rd, the water in the hold was found to have gained upon us considerably, and of course the chance of our founder- ing was proportionably increased. Captain Phillips no longer hesitated to put in practice an expedient which he had conscientiously deferred as long as possible, namely, to ease the ship by heaving over half her cargo. The leak had not been discovered, but he believed it to be owing to the starting of one of her timbers, occa- sioned by the unequal pressure of pig-iron, a great quantity of which was stowed away in the lower hold. Under this belief he expected much advantage from re- lieving the vessel of a portion of this iron, which is well known to be the most stiff, unyielding, and dangerous cargo that a ship, so circumstanced, could have on board.* Here then was opened a new field for exer- tion, and new food for hope ; the main-hatch was taken off, and gangs were again selected to hand the cargo from the hold, and heave it overboard : in this also I took my share, and can aver that it was most laborious work, rendered more so by the rolling of the ship, and the slipperiness of the deck which was constantly flood- ed with water : as the heaviest goods (iron and cased tin) were near the bottom of the hold, we were obliged, before we could reach them, to heave over seventy or eighty enormous crates of earthenware, and they being too ponderous to be raised over the bulwarks (without employing mechanic power of which the circumstances would not admit) they were broken up on deck, and their contents thrown pell-mell into the sea. In spite of the danger of our situation, it was impos- sible to avoid laughing outright at the scene passing upon deck. A dozen of Ireland’s most wild and rag- ged sons were collected round the crate, -its fastenings were destroyed in a moment, and the unfortunate *At Fayal this conjecture proved to have been correct. 20 MERCIFUL DISPENSATION. crockery exposed to treatment most rude and merciless ; saucers, cups, plates, basins, were sent overboard with- out comment, but the quaint observations and strange gestures of the Paddies as they handled sauce-boats, tu- reens, and othnr utensils, which many of them had ne- ver seen before, were amusing in the highest degree. — One fellow, wishing to show more strength and dexte- rity than his neighbours, was staggering under a great load of plates, when the ship gave a lurch, and he was washed off his legs, and rolled with the broken frag- ments of his crockery, in the lee-scuppers. The labour of getting rid of the cargo, added to the pumping, was continued the whole day ; towards noon we got at the tin dnd iron, and at sunset, the mate calculated that we had heaved over twenty ton of crockery, and seventy ton of metal. Here I must pause, to dwell for a moment on the il- lustration, afforded by our present circumstances, of the inscrutable wisdom and mercy of that Being whom we are constantly incensing by our disobedience, and in- sulting by our ignorant complaints, but who, neverthe- less, bears with our infirmities, and often compels us to love and admiration by making the very grievances of which we complain the visible instruments of our pre- servation. This reflection was suggested by looking at the scene on deck ; for, during the first week of the voyage, we (in the cabin) had often complained of the smell, dirt, and other nuisances occasioned by the num- ber of emigrants stowed in the steerage, most of whom were, as I have said, of the most wretched and ragged class that Ireland exports to the colonies ; and we had often remarked how much more agreeable the voyage would have been had they not come on board. Had our wish been granted, our term of life had now been short indeed! — if the ship’s complement had consisted only of the crew and cabin passengers, we should have been, ere this, worn down by fatigue, and unable to keep her afloat ; for, besides the ordinary sailors’ duty, the pumps required six men at work without intermis- sion, day and night, while the heaving over of the car- go found full employment for twenty more ! STORMY NIGHT. 21 During the whole of the 3rd the wind blew fresh from the north, and the captain made all sail for the Azores, which islands were between two and three* hundred miles to the south. In the evening it changed to the south-west ; and, gradually increasing in vio- lence, before midnight became a heavy gale. It was indeed a dreadful night ; several storms of hail, the stones of which were larger than any I had ever seen in Europe, fell in rapid succession ; the ship laboured and rolled so heavily that it was with difficulty I could cling to my berth, while trunks, boxes, and everything not securely lashed, rolled about the cabin, making a din sufficient to keep even weariness from sleep. In the morning I scrambled on deck, clothed in a thick jacket ; and, partially sheltered under the wea- ther bulwarks, held fast to the rigging. I had read of storms at sea, but my conception had never figured anything so terrible as the scene before me. A lurid saffron light mingled with the dusky blackness of the clouds, which resembled the effect of some wide-spread conflagration at night, rather than the light of day ; the ship, after an ineffectual attempt at lying-to, was scud- ding under bare poles ; every stick had been reduced, and a storm-jib, which had been set a few minutes be- fore I came on deck, was blown into ribands ! The might of the ocean was now aroused, and the large ship was a cock-boat ; three men were lashed to the helm, watching every plunge of her bows, and careful to save her from being struck by any of the tremendous seas which were sometimes towering high over her yard- arm. Captain Phillips, who had been familiar with the Atlantic for two-and- twenty years, (and who had beha- ved throughout this trying scene with admirable firm- ness and self-possession,) assured me that never in win- ter or in summer had he encountered weather so severe, while the rolling of the ship rendered it almost impos- sible to work the pumps, for sometimes they would scarcely draw, and the men could not keep on their legs ; the hatches were closed, and the hold could not be sounded, but it was too certain, under these circum- 22 OFFICES OF DEVOTION. stances, that the leak was gaining- ground. I saw the mate place an axe by the foot of the mast, a symptom which, together with the glances he interchanged with the captain, convinced me that they were preparing for the worst. To complete the gloom of the prospect we were driving with headlong speed to the north-east, that is, directly contrary to the quarter where was our only hope of finding a harbour. I seriously believed that our appointed time was at hand, when my reflections were disturbed by a sudden cry of warning from Captain Phillips, (who sprung up the weather mizzen-shrouds with the activity of a cat,) but before I could catch his meaning, or look around, a heavy sea struck us and broke over the quarter-deck, sweeping everything moveable before it. I was un- conscious of anything further until I found myself stuck in the lee-rigging, being thus providentially saved from being carried over-board. Drenched, bruised, and having lost my oil-skin hat, I retreated below, en- sconced myself in my berth ; and, favoured by the pre- ceding day’s fatigue and a sleepless night contrived ere long to fall asleep. Early in the afternoon I went again on deck, and found that the gale had abated in violence ; but there was still a very heavy sea, and the pumps were worked with difficulty. The dissenting minister, (although not a man of powerful mind or energy,) was a serious and sincere Christian ; with the consent of the captain, he called together on deck from cabin, forecastle, and steerage, ail who were disposed to join in the offices of devotion ; and after a prayer appropriate to the circum- stances in which we were placed, proceeded to read that magnificent portion of Scripture, where the Psalm- ist, after describing the wonderful works of the Almigh- ty, displayed on the deep in storm and terror, completes and concludes his graphic description with those mer- ciful and consoling words, “ He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet : so He bringeth them unto their desired haven.”* * Ps. 107 } v. 23, et seq. CONDUCT OF THE LADIES. 23 Most of the labourers and sailors listened with serious attention ; but, alas ! there were some, especially among the latter, who sneered and scoffed at the exer- cise in which we were engaged, and I heard one fellow say to his messmate, “ I say, Jack, this d — d gale o’ wind and leak has all been owing to the parson ; if I could have had my way, we’d have heaved him overboard long before this ?” Such is human nature, when de- graded by ignorance and vice, and untouched by mercy or by grace. Later in the evening, the wind fell, and the sea subsided ; the pumps worked more easily ; and, as soon as it was daylight on the following morning, we were able to resume the labour of heaving over the cargo. The conduct of the ladies throughout this trying- scene was most exemplary ; and although the relation of sister, child, and husband, involved in common dan- ger with them, added sharper pangs to the natural ter- ror inspired by their situation, they were almost uni- versally composed and resigned. On the 5th, the wind continued still to head us off from our attempt at reaching the Azores ; at 2 p. m. we made a sail on the weather-bow ; we hoisted signals of distress ; she noticed them, and bore down towards us : the weather being now moderate, she lowered a boat and sent a mate and half-a-dozen men on board of us. She proved to be the Lady Raffles, from Bengal, bound for London ; they said that if we were in extreme dan- ger, they could take a dozen or two of our complement, but that they were very crowded, had still one thou- sand two hundred miles to run, and were scant both of water and provisions. Great was the doubt and dispute and anxiety amidst our passengers, as to who should leave our unlucky ship, and return in safety to England. The German merchant, Mr. the architect and his wife, with one or two others in the cabin, who had been through- out most subdued and depressed by terror, determined at once to leave the ship : there was a fearful conflict in the mind of one of our passengers, who had been, I be- lieve, a lawyer in the west of Scotland, and had now 24 DEPARTURE OF PASSENGERS. sailed with his family for Canada, where he intended permanently to reside. I felt much for him, as he asked my advice whether he should return or remain. I told him that I could offer him no advice as I was alone, and he had his wife and children on board, but that I myself intended certainly to remain : he decided upon the latter course. While our departing passengers were collecting their baggage, I overheard a few words which fell from one of the Irish labourers, at which I could not refrain from smiling. I was rather a favorite among these poor fel- lows, as I had joked with them, and encouraged them at the pumps ; many of them had worked at the har- vest, in the west of Scotland, and knew my family, so they call me the young Scotch lord. They gathered eagerly towards the quarter-deck to learn who and how many were about to leave the ship : I then overheard one of them say, “We’ll just see what the young Scotch lord does ; if he stays, it’s all right.” Indeed, I think it probable that if I and two or three more of the cabin passengers had gone on board the Lady Raffles, these fellows would have considered themselves deserted, and believing their case to be hopeless, might have be- come quite unmanageable. As Mr. went over the ship’s side I cautioned him strongly against alarming our friends and relations in England, by spreading reports of our danger on his return, and in half an hour we saw him and his com- panions safely placed on the deck of the Indiaman ;* we returned to our pumping and heaving out cargo, ma- king every exertion to reach the Azores. For three days these labours continued without intermission ; the lightening of the ship had produced a sensible effect upon the leak, but it was still so nearly balanced by the power of the pumps, that the latter could not be suspended for ten minutes in three hours, without risk. We were at one time threatened with a mutiny, on the subject of ardent spirits, which the steerage-passengers * I am sorry to add that this caution was neglected, and that on the arrival of the Lady Raffles reports of our having been left at sea in a hopeless condition were widely circulated. THREATENED MUTINY. 25 insisted upon having served out, whereas it had been determined from the first day of the leak to lock up the spirit-room, which did not contain a three days’ supply for the number of claimants, who would have been more ungovernable while it lasted, and discontented when it was finished ; so the captain firmly adhered to his re- solution. A few of them, whose turn it was to pump, refused to work unless they got some whisky ; he told them they might be dro wned, but that they should be drowned sober, not drunk. We prepared our fire-arms in the cabin to defend the spirit-room in case of neces- sity. Meantime the resolute courage of the captain of the gang on duty (who was a powerful young man from Anglesea) settled the question ; he called out his men by rotation, and the first recusant he knocked down with his fist, the second he treated in the same manner, when seeing that he was determined, and that although they could get no whisky, they might, through a few minutes more delay, be drowned, they caught hold of the pump ; I jumped in among them, and we worked away as merrily as if nothing had happened. The breeze having continued favourable for twenty- four hours, we were rejoiced on the 8th by the cry of “land a-head it proved to be Graciosa, the northern- most of the Azores. In the evening we shortened sail, and on the morning of the 9th were off Fayal. I leave it for the reader to imagine the sensations of delight and gratitude which accompanied the first view of this de- sired haven, after the fatigue and danger to which we had for nine days been exposed. c 26 APPROACH TO FAYAL. # CHAPTER II. Approach to Fayal. — Peak of Pico. — Reception by the British Consul. — The Town — its declining State. — Politeness of the People. — Singular Custom. — Inauguration of the Emperor and Empress of Fayal. — The Fayal Authorities. — Agriculture. — Donkeys. — Volcanic Formation of the Island. — Market Days. — Cruelty to an Animal. — Delightful Climate. — Rock Pigeons. — A quaint old Hunter. — Perilous Ascent. — A good Shot. — The American Consul and his Daughters. — Beautiful Orange Garden. — Exquisite Scenery. — Evening Parties. — Absurd Custom. — Successful Attempt to reform it. The opening of these western islands from the north is strikingly beautiful. At first sight the round sloping hills of Fayal recall the Isle of Man to remembrance, but the soft air, the verdure, the orange groves, tell of a gentler climate ; while the Peak of Pico, with his lofty summit towering above a wreathed mantle of clouds, looks down upon the cluster of isles beneath with the pride of a mountain autocrat. After passing through the strait which separates Pico from Fayal, and round- ing two bold headlands in the latter island, the town gradually opens upon the view ; it is of a crescent form, the streets having followed the indented margin of the bay, and the hills, by which it is surrounded on three sides, are covered with orange, lemon, lime, box, gera- nium, and other beautiful shrubs. On landing, we went to the house of the British Con- sul, Mr. Walker, from whom we experienced a kind reception ; indeed he pressed Captain and myself with so much sincerity to take up our abode with him that we could not decline so agreeable an offer. Fayal does not boast of an inn or tavern of any description ; — * the other cabin passengers were billetted in different half-occupied half-furnished houses, while the steerage emigrants were all quartered in a spacious convent which had been dismantled and pillaged by some of the adherents of Don Pedro ; meanwhile the poor Wa- verly would have sunk in the harbour, had not the cap- THE TOWN. 27 tain hired relays of Portuguese boatmen to pump her out continually until arrangements could be made for heaving her down, there being no dry dock in any port of the Azores. The town consists principally of one long straggling street, from which many smaller ones branch off at right angles. The buildings are generally whitewash- ed and have a cleanly appearance, but there are many and evident marks of declining trade, population, and wealth : some large houses are empty, others going to ruin, and the public buildings (which are spacious pic- turesque edifices, with no pretensions to architecture) are in a miserable state of dilapidation ; one of them seems to perform the functions of all the rest, as it an- & swers the various purposes of customhouse, treasury, W home and foreign office, a barrack, and a college ! — ' Some of the houses attest by their shattered doors and broken windows that they belonged to Miguelites du- ring the late civil war. The Pedro party is quite tri- umphant here, their few and feeble opponents having migrated to other islands. A stranger is much struck by the extraordinary and somewhat inconvenient po- liteness shown to him by all classes in the street : those in the upper ranks of life take off their hats and bow ; and the peasantry and labourers stand still and uncover- ed, while making way for him to pass. On the evening after our arrival I witnessed a cu- rious procession, the origin and description of which may be so far interesting, as throwing some light upon the habits and religious prejudices of the inhabitants. The island of Fayal is divided into eight parishes, of which three are in the town. In each of these are cho- sen, on every successive Sunday between Easter and Whitsunday, an Emperor and an Empress ; they are elected by universal suffrage of their fellow parishion- ers, from the middle and lower orders, their office last- ing, of course, one week : they may or may not be re- lated to each other, and have no power, authority, or privilege of any kind ; on the contrary, they are obliged to furnish wax candles for the churches on the day of •heir inauguration, and to provide a certain quantity of 28 INSTALLATION- food for the poor, and a treat of wine and other drink to their companions. The ceremony may probably cost them from twenty to thirty dollars ; and yet, such is the force of prejudice and habit, that even in the present depressed and impoverished state of the island, this empty distinction is sought with the greatest avidity by men who can scarcely find wherewithal to feed or clothe themselves and their families. I am assured, it is by no means uncommon for their imperial honours to be preceded, or followed, by a few weeks’ imprisonment for debt. On the day of their installation they go in procession through the streets with flags and banners, discordant music, and still more discordant cries, to the church, where the priest places a silver tinsel crown upon their heads and performs other trifling ceremonies. As they pass along, they receive from many houses tribute of a small donation, which is offered by them at the church, for the Holy Ghost, in honour of whom the festival is said to have been originally instituted : a collection is always made, because it appears to be the custom of the lower orders when attacked by sickness or disease, to go to bed, and, taking neither remedy nor medical ad- vice, to vow so many farthings to the Holy Ghost on this occasion, in the event of their recovery. The evening is closed by drinking and dancing to a jing- ling guitar, until fatigue and intoxication terminate the feast. Such is a brief outline of the inauguration of the Emperor and Empress of Fayal. “ Take physic, Pomp !” and see how low, even in human estimation, the imperial name may fall !* If in future ages our dis- embodied spirits are permitted to recall and review the scenes in which they mingled while on earth, perhaps * Conf. Schiller’s Piccolomini, Act iii. Sc. 3. “ So miisst es einem seligen Geiste seyn, Der aus den wohmungen der eurgen Frende. Zu seinen kinder spielen, und Geschaften, Zu seinem neigungen, und Bruderschaften, Zum ganzen armen menscheit weiderkehrte !” THE FAYAL AUTHORITIES. 29 the glories, the treasures, the quarrels and jealousies of the rulers of nations will appear as trifling, as worth- less and ephemeral, as the idle pageant above descri- bed. The Fayal authorities, whether civil, military, or ec- clesiastic, seem to be very unimportant personages both as to their duties and appointments. The police, such as it is, appears to be under the control of a prefect and subordinate officers, who also attend the custom-house, the prohibitory regulations of which are as severe as in the frontier districts of Prussia or Austria. During my stay, the military governor’s force consisted of a few recruits miserably drilled and accoutred ; the artillery boasted of eleven men and a lieutenant ; while the re- ligious establishments were directed by an Ouvidor or superintendant, responsible to a superior resident at Ter- ceira, the latter being the deputy of the Bishop of the Azores, who was at this time (1834) supposed to be with Don Pedro’s army. The agriculture of the island is as remarkable for la- borious industry, as for the awkwardness and want of skill with which that industry is applied. The hills are cultivated to the very top, while many of the more fertile spots in the valleys are exhausted by overcrop- ping, and rendered unproductive by neglect. The vin- tage had failed for several successive years ; but the proprietors of farms, who are generally merchants in the town, could not lower the rents in consequence of their commercial losses ; the natural consequence is that the soil has been burthened and exhausted in the attempt to extract from it an unusual quantity of pro- duce. The carts, drawn only by oxen and cows, are huge ponderous machines, with enormous wheels very narrow in the tire. As might be expected, they cut an unpaved road into holes and ruts in a very few days. — The jolting and creaking sounds emitted by the dry axles of these primitive vehicles, prevent any conver- sation from trespassing in their neighbourhood. The streets are execrably paved, and altogether the most favourable I ever saw for the production of bro- ken shins and sprained ancles. There are very few 30 VOLCANIC FORMATION. horses or ponies on the island, donkeys being used for those excusions which are too long to be performed on foot by the elderly merchants and ladies. We had many amusing scenes with these obstinate though sure footed animals, while making trips of pleasure to the gardens and villas above the town ; for they knew so well the roads leading to their favourite haunts or sta- bles, that they were very little disposed to consult the wishes of their riders as to the line of march, and a dis- pute upon this point was generally accompanied by smart blows on one side, and sundry active and absurd flourishes of the heels on the other. The volcanic formation of the island meets the eye in every quarter : the houses are built and the streets are paved with lava, and many of the rough stones ly- ing about the hills and in the beds of the streams, look as if they were quite fresh from the furnace. There seems to be no scarcity of domestic animals. On the market days, which are Thursday and Sunday, the town wears a very busy appearance. An ordinary cow. is worth fourteen or fifteen dollars, a pig two, a sheep one and a half, and fowls are sold at a shilling each English money. A few days after our arrival, an incident occurred, which shows the necessity for extending Mr. Martin’s act beyond the shores of Great Britain. A ragged fel- low, employed occasionally as a sedan-chairman, bought a miserable donkey for three shillings, and putting a rope round the poor animal’s neck dragged it about the town, vociferating its merits, and endeavoring to make some profit by reselling it ; presently it was so exhaust- ed by fatigue and weakness that it dropped down in the street ; he beat it most unmercifully with a cudgel till he broke one of its legs, and dragged it forward on its side, while a rabble of boys and street-vagabonds drew it by the tail, threshing it with thongs and sticks. I was sitting at dinner in the English Consul’s house when these wretches, with the victim of their cruelty, passed before the windows. I caught up a loaded gun and sallied forth to the rescue ; but the poor creature was past all hope of recovery from the blows and AN OLD HUNTER. 31 wounds it had already received. I lost no time, how- ever, in terminating its sufferings by lodging the charge of my gun in its brain. Meanwhile, the chairman worked himself into a great fury, stamped, tore his hair, shook his fist, and poured forth a torrent of Portuguese Billingsgate, which produced little effect upon me, who did not understand it. He also threatened to appeal to the judge ; a threat he was too prudent to put in exe- cution. being well aware that his own conduct would not have met with judicial approbation. I never, in any part of the world enjoyed a climate so delightful. At mid-day the sun was powerful ; but the heat was always tempered by the fresh ocean-breeze, which prevented any sensation of lassitude. I fre- quently amused myself by long walks into the interior in pursuit of quails, which were abundant ; but as, at this season, they were chiefly in the standing crops, my sport was thereby much curtailed. Sometimes, indeed, I ventured to trespass therein, but was general- ly recalled to a sense of my offence by loud cries from the labourers. I must own that they were very good- humoured on these occasions, and never carried their warnings to the length of threats or incivility. I went out several times in search of rock-pigeons. These birds are not unlike the blue pigeons found in the islands on the west coast of Scotland. They are small, slate-coloured, and fly with exceeding rapidity ; they build their nests in the crevices of the black pre- cipitous rocks which gird the S. W. shore of the island. The best time for shooting them is during the heat of the day, when they fly in countless numbers into the interior to slake their thirst at the fresh springs among the hills. The hunter who knows these resorts, may, by concealing himself, kill as many in two or three shots as he can wish to carry home. I went with an old hunter to attack them in their rocky haunts ; his ap- pearance was picturesque in the extreme, and very nearly answered the description of Cooper’s inimitable “ Leather-stocking,” for he was clad in a jerkin of lea- ther, leggings of the same material protected his legs, on his feet were sandals of undressed ox-hide, and 32 PERILOUS ASCENT. on his head a rough sheep-skin cap : he carried an old Spanish fowling-piece, the barrel of which was of great length and solidity, while the ponderous lock was so slow in its movement, and the priming-pan so distant from the breech, that it seemed constructed on purpose to give warning to the object at which it was levelled, to move out of danger ; in fact, it would require no great stretch of imagination to liken the discharge of this pri- mitive firelock to a pinch of snuff administered to an unpractised nose, where one hears the nasal sniff ac- companying the admission of the powder into the nos- tril, and after a minute or two, the report of the conse- quent sneeze. Armed with this venerable weapon, the no less vene- rable hunter contrived to be the most celebrated poacher on the island. He brought more quails and pigeons to market than any other man ; his sagacity was great, and his patience inexhaustible ; he never wasted pow- der and shot upon a single member of the feathered tribe, but crept into ravines, hid himself behind the walls or hedges ; and whenever he could find a luck- less family of quails at their morning meal and grouped conveniently for his purpose, or whenever a thick flight of pigeons passed over his head, he fired into the midst of them, never showing malice against any individual of the species, but giving them all an equal chance of destruction or escape with most praiseworthy impar- tiality ; however, as the gun above-described was gene- rally loaded with a full charge of powder and about three ounces of shot, he rarely returned with an empty pouch. With this quaint old hunter I sallied forth one morn- ing along the shore, in search of pigeons. After walk- ing for a mile or two, the sloping beach abruptly ter- minated, and we continued our course along a narrow ledge of rocks, which was, for some distance, but little raised above the sea ; on our other hand were the high black precipices to which I have before referred, and among which hundreds of pigeons were wheeling and circling in the air, quite out of the range of shot. After a time, the old man quietly said that we must go to the A GOOD SHOT. 33 top of the rocks, as we should there find better sport. I looked at the dark frowning masses above us, and thought either that he was in a joke or that I misun- derstood him, as I had but small skill in the Portu- guese tongue ; nevertheless, he said there were u steps” or “ stairs,” and led the way towards them. On arri- ving at the indicated spot, I was indeed surprised to find that there were notches or steps in the rock, partly natural, and partly cut by hunters or smugglers, which afforded sufficient foot-hold for a practised climber. My old companion seemed quite familiar with this path, and went up it as leisurely as if he had been walking on level ground : I followed as well as I was able, but, before I was half-way, wished that I had not attempted it ; for independently of the novelty of the exercise, I laboured under disadvantages from which he was free ; his soft pliant sandles enabled him to cling better with his feet than I could with a pair of thick shooting-shoes ; and he scrupled not to use his long barrelled gun as a prop or staff whenever he re quired its aid ; my short double-barrel could answer no such purpose, so it was with some risk and difficulty that I kept close to my guide ; I never looked down- wards, being afraid that my head might become giddy ; and when we reached the top, I was more glad than I chose to express. If the activity of old “ Leather-stocking” surprised me, I was soon able to surprise him in turn ; for, two pigeons passing over us in full flight, I fired right and left, and had the satisfaction of seeing them both drop within ten yards of his feet. I never saw astonishment so visibly painted on a human face ; for a minute he seemed unable to articulate, and when he did speak, the only words he uttered were, “ O diabo o spingad ed o cacador ?”* We continued our ramble until late in the afternoon, and returned laden with pigeons. The wealthiest proprietor in Fayal is Mr. D , the American Consul ; we found him extremely hos- pitable ; and, as his daughters and a friend on a visit * The gun is a devil, and so is the hunter. 34 PEAK OF PICO. to them were the first American ladies whom I had seen, I observed their manners, appearance, and con- versation, with no little interest. Abhorring as I do the custom, too prevalent among travellers, of iepaying the courtesies shown to them abroad by violating the privacy of the society into which they have been ad- mitted, I shall say no more here, than that the impres- sion which I received at Fayal was most favourable, and that the hours spent in the American consul’s house were most agreeable.* Adjoining it was a beau- tiful orange-garden, and there, when the heat of the sun invited to the enjoyment of shade, I often stretched myself under the boughs of a large orange-tree, feasting my eyes on the lovely prospect below, and occasionally refreshing my thirst with the delicious fruit which tempted me from above ; the narrow sea dividing Fayal from Pico, was studded with fishing and ferry boats, beyond which were stretched the black rocks and hang- ing vineyards of the opposite coast, while the distant landscape was filled by the undulating hills of St. George’s Island ; but the object on which my eye most loved to dwell, was that noble peak to which I have before referred. There may be many higher mountains in the world, but, (excepting the Peak of Teneriffe,) there is none that rises abruptly from the level of the sea to so great an elevation. On one side of it is al- most a continuous precipice, and its height is calcula- ted at 9000 feet ; it is “ alone in in its glory,” no rivai summit robs it of one fleecy “ wanderer of the sky f t it seems as if every cloud within the sphere of its at- traction came to repose upon its lofty crest ; and as they feel the influence of the winds which sweep unobstruc- ted over the wide ocean, they are wreathed and piled into a thousand varied and fantastic shapes, ever chang- ing their colour as they receive the impression of the solar rays. * One of the cabin-passengers in the Waverly, a young Scotch gentle- man, was so severely wounded by the bright eyes of a daughter of the Consul, that he afterwards returned from Canada, and married her. t “ Scgler the Lufte.” — Stiller. ABSURD CUSTOM. 35 It may be well imagined that the arrival of the Wa- verly had created no small sensation in Fayal. and several evening parties were given by the Portuguese leader of fashion in honour of the “ distinguished fo- reigners.” We found them at first very dull and formal, from the custom which was universally observed of separa- ting the gentlemen from their fair partners, and thus restricting all conversation between them to the pe- riod when they were actually engaged in dancing. — The ball-room was generally the termination of the suite of apartments ; round it and close to the walls sat all the ladies, playing with their fans, chatting to each other in whispers, and looking as if all their happiness was in expectancy ; in the adjoining ante-room the men lounged, or stood in small groups, while the most gallant placed themselves at the folding-doors looking wistfully into the paradise which they seemed forbid- den to enter. When the music began, they hastened forward, claimed their respective partners, and after the dance returned to the outer apartment ; or if a few lin- gered in the ball-room, it was only to stand opposite to the fair wall-flowers where every sentence spoken was necessarily overheard by the persons on either side. After enduring this unnecessary penance for some time, two or three bold spirits from the Waverly deter- mined to effect a radical reform of the social abuse. Accordingly, to the surprise of the islanders, we brought chairs in from the adjoining room ; and after the dance, seated ourselves by the ladies 5 bench, and entered into conversation with them The unexpected audacity of this proceeding, precluded all possibility of resistance on the part of the maintainers of the “ an- cien regime.” Not only was our triumph complete ; but before we left Fayal, we had the satisfaction of seeing the lieutenant of artillery and other native beaux follow our heroic example. .36 MARINE EXCURSION. CHAPTER III. A Marine Excursion. — Novel Mode of landing. — Dinner with Captain L. — A Portuguese Ecclesiastic. — Latin Conversation with him. — Pico. Wine. — Excursion resumed. — Disagreeable Quarters. — A Storm. — Providential Escape. — Yelas. — Volcanic Craters. — A buried Church. — Unlucky Search for Game. — Female Costume. — Fuel. — Return to Fayel. — The Waverly again ready for Sea. — Serious Affray. — Its Consequences. — A Street Squabble. — Cowardly Threats. — Leave Fayal. After a fortnight thus agreeably spent in Fayal, I determined to see some of the other islands ; and ac- cordingly hired a boat manned by four stout seamen and a pilot, whose services I engaged for a week. Not being able to prevail upon any of my fellow-pas- sengers to accompany me on this excursion, I embark- ed with Mr. , the son of the Dutch consul, who was kind enough to volunteer his company, which was the more agreeable and useful inasmuch as he spoke the language fluently, and was acquainted with many persons in the places that I was about to visit. We started with a fresh breeze, and ran across the channel separating Fayal from Pico, (which is eight or nine miles wide,) in the space of an hour. As we approached the shore, I could distinguish a village composed of a few dozen scattered houses ; a few people were also to be seen, and boats, and nets, but I could nowhere discern a creek or harbour, nor any indication of a landing-place. The coast is girt by black and frowning rocks ; and although there was not a heavy sea running, a formidable row of breakers dashed over the point for which our pilot was steering. I was utterly at a loss to conceive how we were to ef- fect a landing : but, being myself only a passenger, and seeing the rest of the party apparently unconcerned, I had nothing to do but to remain in my seat and watch their movements in silence. DINNER WITH CAPTAIN L- 37 As soon as the boat was within a few yards of the rocks, half-a-dozen stout fellows, armed with long poles, were prepared to assist our disembarkation. Two of our own boat’s crew stood on the bows provided with similar staves, (which resemble very closely the iron- shod punt-poles used by the bargemen in the Thames,) with these the boatmen and those on shore fended us off for a minute or two, until the boat being raised by a wave larger than the rest, they gave a simultaneous shout, and-allhwed her to be carried high upon the rocks, those eTn shore breaking her fall by applying their shoulders and fenders brought down for the pur- pose. This mode of landing was new to me, but I pre- sume those who are accustomed to it, like it as well as drawing a boat upon a sandy beach. I do not think I ever saw finer or mere muscular figures than the bare- armed bare-legged fellows who attend the landing of Pico boats. Their countenances are swarthy and sun- burnt, and they seem to live half their lives in the surf, and to treat its foam and rage with the coolest indiffe- rence. On going up to the village, I heard that Captain L had come from Fayal early in the day, and was giving a dinner to the dignitaries of the island : I de- termined upon witnessing this scene of hospitality ; and, on entering the room, I found the captain doing the honours at the end of a table, round which sat a dozen persons, total strangers to me, and who must have been, half-an-hour before, equally strange to their ex- cellent entertainer. As he could not speak a word of Portuguese, nor of any other language intelligible to his guests, the conversation, carried on by signal, and the civilities interchanged by Quips and cranks, and wanton wiles, Nods and becks, and wreathed smiles, was amusing in the highest degree. The captain ha- ving made his friends understand that I was a Scottish grandee of the first class, I was treated with the most profound respect, and the distinguished post of croupier was forthwith assigned to me. D 38 A PORTUGUESE ECCLESIASTIC. After a few minutes passed in bowing to my right and left, and in various modes of telegraphic commu- nication, I perceived that the chair on the right of our host was occupied by a portly good-humoured eccle- siastic. The bright idea immediately struck me that I might here derive some advantage from my Eton edu- cation, so I addressed the priest with a “ salve, vir re- verend issi me,” which instantly drew his attention, and that of the whole company, to my learned self ; the good priest rose from his chair and answered my salu- tations in a torrent of complimentary eloquence, which showed me but too plainly that the pronunciation of Latin, as taught at Eton, had not fitted me for under- standing or being understood in conversation with a Portuguese. But the good priest was so delighted at the opportunity thus given him, for astonishing his companions with the learning of himself and the Scot- tish grandee, that he soon found means to obviate the difficulty resulting from the difference of our pronun- ciation. Two sheets of paper were provided, on one of which he wrote me a complimentary address on my arrival, assuring me therein that the tiiion and absurdity, inculcating no virtue, dutv, or self-denial, and filling their heads with drivelling fruitless fancies ; they always prefer their own preachers (some brother-slave, whose vanity and volu- bility have induced him to assume the office) to any white minister that can be offered to them ; and the only definite article of belief that I could obtain from several whom T examined, was, that if adultery, theft, and mur- der were very bad, a few prayers soon expiated the of- fence, and the “ man might start again as good as ever !” The soil on both banks of James river is naturally yery fertile ; but it. has been much exhausted by neglect and by over-cropping. A better system of agriculture is now introduced ; a triennial rotation is observed, consist- ing usually of wheat, Indian corn, and clover; fine beds of marie have lately been discovered of great extent, and the use of this, with shells and a free admixture of ani- mal and vegetable manure, is already producing evident and rapid improvement in the soil and in the crops. Most of the implements of husbandry are made on the farm ; the draught cattle consist chiefly of small, lean, but hardy oxen, and stout mules, which are fed upon the coarsest refuse of the produce : thus (with the exception EARLY SETTLERS. 125 of the value of the slave-labour) the outlay upon these farms is not bv any means heavy in proportion to their return ; and were it not for the subdivision to which, by the laws of the country, they are so frequently subjected, these estates would maintain a comfortable and indepen- dent gentry. I suppose my American friends would call it British prejudice ; but l confess it often made me sad, in my journey through Virginia, to see good substantial manor- houses, built while the law of primogeniture was in force, either untenanted or half inhabited, because none of the heirs of the sub-divided property could afford to live in them. However, although I will not enter farther into the merits of that question here, I freely admit that I consider a law of primogeniture incompatible with re- publican institutions. On the 19th of April, I bade adieu to mv kind hosts, and embarked again on James river for Williamsburgh, the former colonial seat of government. The steamer in which I found myself was the “Patrick Henry!” The name of the extraordinary man, after whom it was so called, is familiar to all who are in any degree conver- sant with the history of the American revolution. How little could he imagine, when he was stirring up the Vir- ginians to revolt, and fulminating his eloquent denuncia- tions against their governor, who had proclaimed him outlaw and traitor, that in fifty years his own country would be a mighty independent empire, and the grand- son of i hat governor be received there as a traveller with kindness and hospitality. The district through which I was now passing was the Wingandacoa, mentioned as the first region visited by Sir W. Raleigh on this coast : it is described by Philip Amydas, narrator of that expedition, as a “ soile most plentiful, sweete, and wholesome of all other;” in proof of which the worthy capiain states, “ the corne groweth three times in five moneth ; we put some of our pease in the grounde, which in ten dayes were fourteen inches high !” I entreat the reader to take this statement upon the faith of Philip Amydas’ veracity, and not of mine. It appears that, in 1585, Wingandacoa received the JAMES TOWN. 126 name of Virginia, and a second expedition was sent thither under Sir Richard Grenvill, Master Heriot, Eayne, and others. Their first negotiations with the Indians seem to have been carried on in that spirit of intolerance and cruelty which has marked and disgraced the conduct of English, Spanish, and of all the civilized nations, in their intercourse with ignorant and helpless savages. Master Heriot’s narrative abounds with illus- trations of this observation ; let one short sentence suf- fice : very soon after their landing, he says, “at Aquas- cogac, the Indians stole a silver cup, so we burnt their towne, and spoyled their corne,” &c. When civilization and Christianity came to the poor Indians, recommended by such acts of wanton atrocity as are recorded in the narratives written by the first European settlers them- selves, who can wonder that they should become objects of fear and haired, rather than of admiration and love ! The speed of the Patrick Henry exceeded that of any steamer which I had seen in England or in America. She went over seventy-six miles (with wind and tide in her favour) in four hours and twenty minutes precisely, in- cluding several short stoppages to land and take in pas- sengers. 1 landed at James Town, the now desolate spot, where the fathers of America first established them- selves on her shores : it is impossible to view it without interest and emotion, or to forget that from this acorn sprung the huge-spreading oak on which the American eagle has built her nest ! “ Time was when, settling on thy leaf, a fly Could shake thee to the roots — and time has been When tempests could not.”* Nothing now remains of that parent settlement except- ing the ruins of the church, which mark the place whence the lidings of Christianity were first preached in the Western world. Here I regret to add, that the condi- tion both of the ruins and of the church-yard attest the indifference of the American people to sepulchral relics or monuments of antiquity. Instead of showing any reverence for this classic and holy ground (such, at least, it should be to them), the church has been allowed to fall Cowper’s “Yardjey Oak.” DESECRATED CHURCH-YARD. 127 to pieces — the grave-stones have been rudely torn from their places — the marble slabs broken and scatiered in every direction — the inscriptions and carved ornaments defaced — the church-yard wall torn down — nor is there the slightest remaining barrier to protect this, their ear- liest religious and ancestral monument, from the intru- sion of pigs and cattle, or the more disgraceful profana- tion of human mischief and curiosity! Some mav think this a light and trivial matter — I can- not agree with them : it appears tome an amiable, if not an instinctive feeling in our nature, to have a regard to all the concerns, the habits, the deeds, as well as the houses and more material relics of our forefathers ; how much more so to venerate the spot of which the dust is kindred to our own animated clay, where sleep the men to whom we owe the land and the liberty we enjoy. I will defy any one who pretends to understand or appre- ciate a stanza of Gray’s matchless Elegy, to look upon this desecrated church-yard without mingled feelings of indignation and pain. If T were an American statesman I would watch, and endeavour to correct this national defect, and to instil into my couniryrnen a sentiment which the concurring testimony of civilized nations has approved. Burke, who was no superficial observer of human nature, has said, “They who never look back to their ancestors, will rarely look forward to posterity.” The road from James Town to Williamsburgh is through a tame ill-cultivated countrv, without much pre- tention to beauty. The seat of government during the Old Dominion is now little better than a “ deserted vil- lage.” The centre of the palace where the governor resided has long since fallen down, and even the traces of its ruins are no more to be seen. Two small wings, which formed part of the range of offices, are still stand- ing: they have been bought and fitted up by Mr. B , their present possessor, in a neat cottage style. I did not scruple to enter, and ask permission to cast my eye round the apartments and adjoining garden, which was politely granted. It maybe imagined with what min- gled and undefinable feelings I viewed this spot, as a stranger and a foreigner, where my grandfather had liv- 128 OLD COLLEGE. ed, surrounded by the pomp and pageantry of vice-royal- ty ! — then all was bustle and gayely, and life wilbin those halls — when the governor welcomed the colonists to the board and to the dance, or sallied forth with British sol- diery, supported by the bold woodsmen of the country, to drive the red invaders fiom the remote portions of Vir- ginia, which are now included in the states of Ohio and Tennessee !* What is now the contrasted scene ? — those wildernesses, watered by the Ohio and Mississippi, which were then the abode of the wolf, the bear, and the Indian, are filled with thriving farms and busy vil- lages, amidst which are to be found towns of great and increasing opulence ; while the ancient capital, on the site of which I was now standing, has dwindled, in half a century, into a paltry village, without even a venerable ruin to rescue its decay from insignificance ! The train of refleciions naturally arising from the con- templation of this scene probably prevented my paying due attention to the college situated in the neighbour- hood of it, built and endowed (as is well known) by Wil- liam and Mary. I did visit it, however, and found a large irregular pile of building, without any architec- tural pretentions. I also paid my respects to Mr. T , one of the principal professors : his deportment and con- versation answered the general expectation which I had formed from the general high character that he enjoys throughout the state. His general views of education and college discipline appeared to me liberal and enlight- ened. He introduced me to two other professors be- longing to the establishment ; and my impression from the interview was, that, under such men, the college, which had for many years subsequently to the revolu- tion, and the consequent diminution of its funds, been on the decline, would soon regain its former celebrity. * In the time of James the First, and for many years after his reign, the colony of Virginia was held to contain all the country between lati- tudes 32° and 44°, “ and as far westward as might be convenient.” I saw some very curious records connected with this subject in the archives, which are reserved in good order at Richmond. The present northern and southern limits of Virginia, were assigned in 1630-1632, when the boundaries of North Carolina and Maryland were drawn. NEW FORTIFICATION. 129 % On the 29th of April I left Williamsburgh, and pro- ceeded, through an uninteresting country, to Hampton. From thence, I took a stroll towards the new fortifica- tion at Old Point, which has been constructed with much care and at great expense. The works are of considera- ble extent, and many difficulties must have presented themselves in the progress of the fortification, especially from the instability of the foundation, the whole being built upon sand. 1 should conceive it altogether a strong fortress, as regular approaches could only be made on one side, and that is a narrow isthmus, not easily occu- pied by an enemy. Its dimensions are quite out of pro- portion with the military force at present existing in the country. I should have conceived that the whole United States’ army would not make more than a sufficient gar- rison for it (as it certainly would easily contain eight thousand men, which is above two thousand more than their present numerical force); but I am told the tech- nical calculations respecting the fortification (of which I am myself very ignorant) are, that it can be de- fended by three thousand men, and is calculated to hold out against regular approaches for forty days. The guns that I saw were all twenty-four and thirty-two pounders ; but forty-twos are to be mounted upon a new and improved principle in the construction of the car- riages. I have been informed that it was meant to form a kind of depot, or centre, of a great line of coast fortifi- cation, extending all along the shores of the Atlantic : the intention of which was to protect the whole impor- tant line between the Hudson and the James river. Crossing from Old Point to Norfolk, in the steamer, I arrived late in the afternoon. This is a bustling, active town, containing, probably, about eleven thousand inhabi- tants. The streets are narrow, and the houses rather small ; and, though the shops are well filled, and the streets are lined with hampers, barrels, crates, and all the usual pavement impediments of a commercial pori, still there is little to interest a stranger ; but the bay affords a noble harbour, and the merchants of Norfolk have been long and justly celebrated for their hospitality. As for the great bay of the Chesapeake, in which this seaport 130 MORNING RIDE. is situated, it is certainly one of the finest in the world, whether considered in reference to its commercial or na- val importance, being on an average, twelve or fifteen miles wide, two hundred and seventy miles long, and eight or ten fathoms deep throughout ; it contains many commodious harbours and excellent fisheries. Besides the James river, of which I have before spoken, it re- ceives the waters of several navigable rivers, the prin- cipal of which are the Susquehannah, Potomac, Patuxent, Rappahannock, and York. During my stay J was hospitably entertained by the British Consul, and made some agreeable acquaintance. After a few days I returned to Washington. CHAPTER X. Morning Ride. — Delightful Season. — Shrubs and Flowers. — The Mock- ing-bird. — Visit to a Flower-Garden. — Preparations for a Tour in the West — Parting from Friends. — Leave Washington for Baltimore. — Fearful Ravages of the Cholera. — Incident in the Museum at Balti- more. — Arrival at Philadelphia. — Start for Pittsburgh. — Lovely Pros- pect.- -Lancaster Vale. — German Settlers. — The Susquehannah. — The Juniata. — Track Boats. — A Newspaper Reporter. — Inquisitive Western Traveller. — Walk to Holydaysburgh. — Nocturnal Annoy* ance. — Passage across the Alleghanies. — Arrival at Johnstown. — The River Conimah. — Railroad. — The Alleghany River. — Pitts- burgh. — The Market. — Mr. Rapp’s Settlement. On the morning of the 5th of May, I sallied forth about seven o’clock, to ride round the heights of George- town, and the picturesque glens by which they are divided from the Washington race-course. All who have seen the various tints which clothe the American woods in autumn, (or, to use their own poetical and admirable expression, in the full,) have agreed in cele- brating their unrivalled richness and beauty. I will not institute an odious comparison between that time of year and the “soote season” in which I now pricked forth: both are sweet, and both have their peculiar attractions. After all, the last scene is always the best. Nature is like Perdita in “ The Winter’s Tale,” — “what she does, still betters what is done but X never remember DELIGHTFUL SEASON”. 131 to have enjoyed a more delightful ride (at least, alone ) : the sun was clear, bright, and gay in his bridegroom trim — the sweet south shook the dew-drops from the bud- ding trees ; “ The flowers sprang wanton to be prest ; The birds sang love on every spray and all nature wore that universal smile which the un- translatable expression of JEschylus so exquisitely paints in describing the sea.* The season, indeed, was later than usual, and on this lovely morning, the blooming May was busied in calling that “ sleeping fragrance from the ground” which her ekPr sister April ought to have awakened ; the “ Violets dim, But sweeter than the lids of Juno’s eyes, Or Cytherea’s breath,” were peeping from every tangled corner in the dell ; buds and blossoms of various shrubs and trees, whose names were unknown to me, were bursting open in every direction the verdant walls of their native prison, and endeavouring, “ all bashfully, to struggle into light while the graver pines and cedars seemed to mock their tender and unformed foliage. Proudly eminent among them all was the luxurious and gaudy beauty of the Cor- nus jlorida\ (called here the dog-wood); this is a large shrub, bearing delicate flowers of a paly pink hue, and such a profusion of them as to make the wild woods look like a flower-garden, and to throw into shades the beauties even of the May-thorn. Nor was animate nature less busily employed : the saucy robin was pluming himself by the stream, and regarded not my approach ; the gorgeous blue-bird was showing to the sun his “ feathered mail, sky-tinctured, grain the cat-bird and thrush were singing their matins * The d vr/ptOfiov ytkac[ia. Vide Prom. 1. 90. t I believe, in autumn, it bears bright scarlet berries : its bark is a powerful tonic, and is taken as a remedy for ague. 132 THE MOCKING BIRD. from every bush and tree ; and, far above the rest, that prince of mimics and songsters, the mocking-bird, was swinging upon a small tw'ig of the hickory-nut, which waved gently to and fro in the breeze ; while he, “as if he would the charming air repay,” poured forth a strain of such rich and varied melody, as made me, for the moment, almost forget my allegiance to that feathered queen of song, who, throned in some venerable oak in Windsor’s glades, has received so often the grateful homage of my ear, and charmed so many hours, by day and night, of my earlier years ! Thus lovely was the scene through which I suffered my steed to ramble at his own pace, unwilling 1 hat he should not have his share in the enjoyment diffused around him ; my own musings were tinged, however- with melancholy, as the last post from Europe had brought alarming accounts of the health of one who was and is to me as a sister — one who, when I left her" was blithe and lovely as the landscape before me. There was something, moreover, .in the object with which I visited thus early these woody dells, which was calcu- lated to inspire gentle thoughts; for my course was directed to a flower-garden, where I was going to select a small bouquette for a young lady, to whom T had, the preceding evening, lost a “flowery wager;” and as her attractions rendered her well worthy of the fairest and most fragrant selection which I could make, I was, per- haps, unconsciously illustrating those lines of our “old man eloquent,” in which one, “ Forth issuing on a summer’s morn, to breathe Among the pleasant villages and farms Adjoined, fronp each thing met conceives delight but when the “ fair virgin” is added to the picture, “ What pleasing seem’d, for her now pleases more.” T returned home, laden with sweets like a bee, only with this difference, that the bee is a thief, and I came honestly by mine. I heie feel obliged to acknowledge, that, although Washington is a dismal and dreary skele- LEAVE WASHINGTON. 13S ton of a city, possessing a climate and situation equally detestable, there are some delightful rides in its neigh- bourhood. After spending a few days more in the ‘capital, I determined upon making a tour in the West, leaving its extent and direction to be guided by circumstances, and by such information or advice as I might meet with on the way. Accoidingly, I armed myself with letters of introduction to the officers on the western stations from the secretary of the War Department and from the com- mander-in-chief, to both of whom I was much indebted for the readiness with which they gave them, and the pressing language in which they were couched. I could not leave the friendly roof under which I had passed so many pleasant weeks without sincere regret, especially as I was not sure whether its highly esteemed inhabitant might not return to Europe during my absence ; neither did “ my bosom’s lord sit lightly on his throne,” on quitting others whose acquaintance and intimacy I had enjoyed. Although the society of three or four of the translantic cities might be gayer, there were some at Washington with whom 1 felt more at home , and conse- quently more loth lo quit, than I should be to leave the gayeties even of Paiis or Naples ! Nevertheless, on Monday, the 19th of May, I went to Baltimore. The day was fine, the company in the stage well-informed and pleasing members of the best society ; so that the blue devils made a hurried retreat. I had for a fellow- passenger General Eustace, a highly esteemed officer, and he gave me the following account of the fearfully rapid attack which the cholera had made upon some troops under his command in lb32. He was on board a steam-boat on Lake Michigan, bound for Chicago, on the 9th of July, with about two hundred men. Some alarming reports regarding cholera having prevailed, he desired the surgeon to examine all the men carefully on Sunday evening; the order was obeyed, and a report of their perfect health, without one exception, returned. On Monday morning, he was awakened by the surgeon telling him that there was one deeided cholera case He doubted it, but rose ; before he was dressed Vol. I. — M 134 MUSEUM AT BALTIMORE. the steward reported another. He now fitted up a sort of hospital cabin, removed the two sick men to it, with the requisite“orders fortending them, and went to break- fast : by the lime he had finished his meal, the two men were dead, and numerous other cases had occurred. They reached Chicago that afternoon, and he had then thrown overboard nineteen dead, and had to land sixty-five helplessly ill, few of whom recovered ! They had no premonitory symptoms ; no medicine afforded the slightest relief. They were seized at once with fearful cramps and spasms ; and General Eustace describ- ed their cries and yells as having been acute and dread- ful in the extreme. In a few days there were scarcely survivors enough to bury their comrades by fours and fives in large holes, which they dug for the purpose. While at Baltimore I strolled into the museum, to see the well-known figures of Tam O’Shanter and Souter Johnnie, which were being exhibited. I was contempla- ting them with the interest which the home recollections they suggested would naturally produce, heightened not a little by the pure broad Scotch with which the exhibitor explained to the spectators their distinctive peculiarities, when the grotesque group received an addition which I shall not easily forget. Oh ! how I longed for the pencil of a Wilkie, or rather of a Reynolds ! Indeed the poetic contrast was stronger than that presented by the struggle between Tragedy and Comedy for the great actor of ihe last century. Row I do now long for t he pen of the Wi- zard of the North, that I might delineate, for my own satisfaction, or for that of others, the scene which, for a few moments, I enjoyed ! It was simply this. The merry cobler was silting in stone, with the broad smile upon his countenance, and the half-emptied can in his hand, when suddenly I observed a delicate round arm passed round his neck, and a profusion of dark tresses min- gled with his gray locks ! It was a young girl, of about sixteen or seventeen years, who, with the naivete of youthful curiosity, had approached to take a nearer view of the jolly Souter. She was one of the most lovely creatures that ever I looked upon : her hair was dark and glossy ; her eyes black and brilliant, beneath eye- CITY OP PHILADELPHIA. 135 brows most delicately pencilled, and shaded by lids the fringe of which threatened to tickle her rosy cheek ; her nose was of that fine correct form so distinctive of Ame- rican beauty, and round her sweet small mouth played two dimples that Psyche might have slept in ; her figure and her attitude blended the playful grace of the child with the symmetry of ripening bloom; and thus, in delighted and unconscious beauty, did she hang her arm round Johnny’s neck of stone, and look into his grinning visage, her arch eyes beaming with surprise, and her full cherry lips almost touching his rough cheek ! I could not forbear gazing more intently perhaps than I ought ; she happened to look up, and, on encountering my ri vet- ted eyes, she blushed deeply, and changed her position. I turned and left the room, for fear aught should mar that lovely and perfect picture of contrast ! On the following day 1 went on to Philadelphia, where I remained twenty-four hours, and took my place in the canal and railroad line from thence to Pittsburgh, the Birmingham of the West, and the extreme point of Pennsylvania, being three hundred and eighty-five miles from Philadelphia. Having furnished myself, by the assistance of an obliging friend in Philadelphia, with a fleet dog, called or rather miscalled, Peevish , of a mixed greyhound race, whose speed I proposed to try on the plains of Illinois and Missouri, I set off on Friday morn- ing for Pittsburgh. The opening of this great railroad, after passing the celebrated water-works of Fairmount, mounts the range of hills which overlook the city to the westward by an inclined plane, ihe draught-power being placed in a steam-engine worked at the summit. As the operation of attaching the cars was somewhat tedious, I got out, and walked to the top of the hill, when my eye was gladdened by one of the most delightful prospects ima- ginable. The morning was bright as a young May sun could make it; the Schuylkill wound gracefully round the base of the eminence on which I stood, his banks fringed with the oak, the poplar, and the weeping willow, and studded with many white and smiling villas, their 136 LANCASTER VALE. creeper-covered arbours and neat lawns reminding me of some of those on the banks of the Father Thames ; while, stretched on the seaward plain, lay the peaceful city of Brotherly Love, its bright spires glittering above the light hazy smoke which partly hid and partly reveal- ed the humbler buildings beneath. No pen can describe the beauty of the forest-foliage at this “ sweet hour of prime;” so great was ihe variety of tree and shrub which clothed the undulating hills around, all spangled with, early dew, the brilliant dog-wood shining through every casual opening,, and the lap of earth beneath teeming with the honeysuckle, the azalia,. the wild fusia* and hundreds of humbler, though not less lovely, flow- rets. Thence the railroad carried us through one of the richest and most pleasant valleys in America, or in ihe world, called Lancaster Vale, from the town situated in its bosom. At this season it was one continued waving sea of rye, clover, and wheat : the farm-houses were almost all whitewashed, with a neat garden in front, and on one or each side a large orchard, the trees of w hich were planted with the utmost regularity, and their fra- grant boughs teeming with blossom; while here and ^here was a favouiite cow, with her jingling neck-bell,, or a pet pony, cropping the rich orchard grass, and revelling, with an almost Apician gluttony, on the luxu- riant pasture. This part of the country was chiefly settled by Ger- mans ; indeed, many of them can speak very little English. They have German preachers, and a German printing-press; and yet so corrupted is their dialect, that I very much doubt whether a Saxon, a Brunswdcker, or a Hanoverian could understand them readily. One old man with whom I spoke, w'as the third in descent., American born, his great grandfather having come from Frankfort; he could speak neither language intelligibly; his son, however, a well-educated young man, joined in the conversation, and said, “ Sir, you will not easily understand this dialect, hut I will speak to you in Luther's German ;” upon which lie addressed several sentences to me in language tolerably pure, both ir\ THE SITSQUEHANNAH. 137 grammar and pronunciation. It is almost needless to say, that the above phrase derives its origin from Lu- ther’s translation of the Bible, still in universal use among the Germans. After travelling seventy-two miles on this railroad, we arrived at Columbia, a village that seems to possess a brisk trade in lumber, judging from the vast piles collec- ted on each side of the road. Here my eye was regaled by the first view of the sweet and now classic Susque- hannah ; and well may that stream inspire the poet’s pen or limner’s pencil. The river, opposite Columbia, winding round the base of the hill which girds the eastern extremity of that village, is there broad and shallow, and its rippling cur- rent is broken by a thousand little islets, many of them only a few feet in diameter, but which the profuse hand of Nature has decked already with moss, grass, or shrub, although in winter they are probably submerged ; but now they formed a complete fresh-water archipelago. Here we left the railroad and took to the canal-boat, which, to my great delight, followed the course of the river, and gave us an opportunity of enjoying for many miles, the view of its picturesque and woodland banks. After passing Harrisburgh, the canal leaves the Sus- quehannah at Petersburg!), and courts her rival and younger sister the Juniata. I confess, with shame, that I had never heard of this river ; yet are her unsung banks as rich in foliage, in pleasant farms, in every variety of beauty, as hers which are consecrated by the Legend of Gertrude : the average size of the channel appears to me to be much the same as that of “royal-towered Thame’* at Windsor. The packets, or track-boats, as they are here called, are tolerably comfortable ; and their rate of goingr is about four miles an hour; which I preferred ta greater speed, as it enabled me in the evening and morn- ing, when the heat was not intense, to walk many miles in the enjoyment of the fresh hill breeze and the lovely everchanging scenery. The company on board these boats is very mixed, including every grade, from the operative lo the highest class in Philadelphia. I was very fortunate in meeting M* 138 INQUISITIVE TRAVELLERS. with an elderly gentleman well known as one of the most eminent and accurate reporters in this country. H is abilities are employed in the service of the National Intelligencer ; a paper conducted by gentlemen , and remarkable in these days of political profligacy for advo- cating moderate sound opinions, as well for a rigid abstinence from that lone of virulence and personality which disgraces a great many Ameiican, and not a few British, newspapers. I think 1 understood him to say that his remuneration from this paper, as a reporter, was about 3000 dollars (between 6 and 700/.) per annum. I enjoyed much agreeable and not uninstructive con- versation with this gentleman, and I never saw the autumn of life adorned with more sober or more cheerful hues : happy in his home, honoured by his children, with a good constitution and a religious and contented spirit, and maintaining his opinions, which were strong and somewhat peculiar, with all the warmth and energy of youth, I could not help wishing, that thirty years hence, if I am destined so long to live, my mind and body might be in a similarly happy frame. I found an amusing contrast in the manners of some western travellers, who were cast in a rougher mould: they were not satisfied till they had found out who I was, where I came from, why I came, where I was go- ing to, how long I meant to stay, and, in addition to these particulars, how much my umbrella cost, and what was the price of my hat. This last inquiry was followed by the party taking it up from the bench, and putting it on his head , which was not very cool, neither did it ap- pear to have suffered much annoyance from water or from comb; luckily the hat did not fit, and after giving it two or three stout pulls in a vain attempt to draw it over his scalp, he returned it to me. Another fellow saw me smoking a Carbanos cigar ; he asked me, “Stranger, have you got another of them things? I will give you a cent for one” (a halfpenny) I immediately gave him one, saying, in perfect good-humour, “ I will not sell you one, but I shall be very glad if you will accept this.” To my surprise he became irritated and angry, and tried two or three times to force the cent upon me. NOCTURNAL ANNOYANCE. 139 I refused as stoutly; and at length told him, that if he was determined to buy and not accept the cigar, I should charge him half a dollar for it. This view of the case induced him to lake it gratis, but he seemed annoyed, and by no means grateful. I record these curious traits as more or less indicative of the western yeoman : that these sturdy fellows are less civil or good-humoured than those of a similar class in Lancashire or Yorkshire, I neither say nor think ; but doubtless their freedom of manner and conduct would be reckoned impertinent in any other country. On the eve of the 25th we arrived, about four, at a place where one of the locks was undergoing some repairs, and consequently the boat could proceed no farther until they were completed ; an operation which was expected to last sotne three or four hours. I was informed that it was only twelve or fourteen miles to Holydaysburgb, where the canal terminates, and the journey is resumed the following morning on a railroad across the Alleghanies. I accordingly left the boat, and with my stout stick in my hand, and Peevish gamboling at my side, I set off on foot over the hills to Holydays- burgh. The evening was beautiful, but the heat was very severe for pedestrian exercise ; however, I trudged merrily along over a wooded and somewhat rough coun- try, and a few hours brought me to the village, where I supped. In an evil moment, I determined to sleep in the tavern instead of in the close cabin of the track-boat, where our hammocks were slung in tiers three deep, and a “ stout gentleman” might have found some difficulty in creeping into them. Having procured a sleeping apartment with only two beds in it, I hired them both , under a pretext of a friend about to follow me, and comforted myself with the deli- cious prospect of solitude and quiet. Heu , vatum ig - narce, mentes f Scarcely had I “ quenched the flaming minister” and nestled myself in the least dirty-looking of the beds, when forth rushed from tester, pillow, and post, a horde of those *' blastet wonriers,” whose name I abhor to write : — the well-remembered night spent at Pico presented its horrors to my memory ; and after bestow- 140 CROSS THE ALLEGHAN1ES. ing hundreds of random blows upon every part of my assaulted person, I rose and beat the whole blanketed field of battle with a large towel. ’T was all in vain : after suffering about two hours of this annoyance, my servant came in with a candle, by the assistance of which I slew five of the ringleaders ; but after his departure, the “rebel rout” returned to the charge and gained an easy victory. In addition to the draughts of pleasure which I thus took in through the sense of touch, I might also men- tion others which I enjoyed through that of hearing, such as the baying, yelping, and howling of seven or eight dogs in the yard below, whose power of voice was only equalled by its endurance. Sleep would not “ light on my lids,” and 1 arose at daylight, unrefreshed and wounded as if I had slept over a wasp’s nest. Upon mentioning to the landlord the undesired com- pany with 'which I had been favoured, he said, “Yes, it is rather unpleasant.” I agreed with him, and with much satisfaction bade adieu to him and his temple of vermin. On Monday morning I entered the railroad car that was to convey me across the Alleghanies. We had to go up many inclined planes before we could reach the summit. Some passengers are much alarmed at that part of the journey, because all the cars are attached by one iope, which hauls them up the hill by the power of a steam- engine ; and if it were to break, the cars and all their contents would probably be dashed to pieces. I never felt this alarm : why should it break? the rope is thick and very strong ; and I cannot understand why people whose whole existence depends constantly upon strings and fibres finer than thread, should fear to trust it to the security of a cable ! Yet such are the contradictions commonly incidental to human nature. The passage over the mountain is one continued scene of rough wild woodland. The railroad is carried along the sides of ridges of considerable height, and almost precipitous ; where I should think that persons troubled with nerves might be now and then annoyed and alarm- ed. On our descent from the summit, the. horses got ARRIVAL At JOHNSTOWN. 141 frightened twice ; the first time, on meeting another line of cars, they turned round and got jammed between the two lines, whence there was some difficulty in extricating them ; the second time, they went down a steep bank, about twenty feet deep, and if it had occurred a little sooner or later, it must have been fatal to them, and might have been so to us. However, we arrived in safe- ty at Johnstown, where we were transferred again to the canal which follows the course of the river Cone- maugh, and we felt that the journey was drawing to a close, as the waters now ran to the west — all of them hurrying through their multitudinous channels to swell the mighty tide of the Mississippi. After travelling some distance along the banks of the Conemaugh, its name, probably from some intermediate tributary stream, is changed to the Kis-kiminitas ; the pronunciation of which among a party of strangers gives rise to much merri- ment and laughter. On both sides of its channel are extensive salt works, and coal and lime abound. The earth is bored to the depth of six or seven hundred feet, a copper tube is inserted, and the salt water being drawn up by a pump, the salt is extracted by boiling : the whole process being carried on by the assistance of steam. The salt finds a ready market at Pittsburgh, “ the Bir- mingham of the West. One of the principal engineers who had been employ- ed in constructing this railroad, happened to be with us, and from him I gathered some of the subjoined particu- lars. The length of the canal and rail line from Phila- delphia to Pittsburgh, is three hundred and eighty-three miles, of which about one hundred and twelve are rail- road ; the coast of the whole was 1,600,000 dollars, about 350,000/.; the height of “the summit” is two thousand three hundred feet above the sea, and fourteen hundred above the canal at the base. There are two tunnels of considerable length in the course of the whole line : the first is a railroad tunnel, through one of the spurs of the Alleghany mountain, nine hundred feet long, and the hill above it is between two and three hundred feet high; the second is a canal tunnel of similar, di- | mansions, and passing also under a mountain. I learned 142 RAILROAD. with much surprise that the former of these vast excava- tions had cost only 5000/. The whole line reflects the highest credit both on the engineers and on the state. The detail is certainly very faulty, as the rate of travelling is unnecessarily slow (about four miles an hour, including stoppages), and we were obliged to go back a mile once or twice, through meeting other cais at places where we could not pass ; but these are trifle's which a few months will probably re- medy, and which it would be invidious and foolish to carp at, when we consider the difficulties that have been overcome, the wonderful facilities of transportation that have been acquired, and the mingled courage and per- severance with which the rugged chain of the Allegha- nies have been obliged to “ bend their stiff necks,” and lend their rough backs, to carry the comforts and luxu- ries of life between the Atlantic cities and the “ Great Valley ” At Freeport we joined the course of the Alleghany river, and mingled our muddy Kis-kiminatian waters with its clear and transparent stream. The country now assumed a more tame and settled appearance, while the continual recurrence of coal-smoke and steam-engines reminded us of our return to civilization. Pittsburgh stands at the junction of the Alleghany and Monongahe- la, from the union of which two rivers springs the ma- jestic Ohio. The town is, like all other busy manufac- turing towns, an emporium of smoke and dirt. The inns are in character with the town ; and, though it is situated on the delta formed by two beautiful rivers, and the neighbouring country is both rich and variegated, still I know nothing that need detain a stranger there, unless he is anxious to make an accurate investigation into the state of its manufactures. It is almost unnecessary to add that Pittsburgh was originally a French settlement, called Fort du Quesne. The French were remarkable for the sagacity which they showed in the choice of their posts, and conse- quently did not overlook the eligible situation, both in regard to military objects and to Indian trade, which Was afforded by the confluence of these great rivers. It THE MARKET. 143 was near this spot that Braddock paid the penalty of his rash and ignorant obstinacy with his life ; and also lhat one of my countrymen, Colonel Grant, with nearly a thousand followers, mostly Highlanders, fell on the side of a hill which still bears his name. 1 strolled into the market, and for several minutes really fancied myself in one of the smaller quarters of Glas- gow or Birmingham, so loud was the din, so smoke- blacked were the bricks, so noisy were the dogs gather- ed round the shambles, and so “ proudly eminent” above all other sounds was Paddy’s vernacular voice, male or famale, whether raised in fun, bargain, or wrath ! The only item calculated to dispel the illusion was the num- ber of broad-faced and broad-sterned, fair-haired butch- ers, whose naiive land might easily be guessed , without Yankee ingenuity, and without looking at the boards over their stalls, with their various inscriptions of “Schmidt,” “ Reinhardt,” “ Hermann,” &c. The price of the best beef was about eight cents (or 4 d.) per lb. The 'principal manufactures in this town are iron, steam-engines, cutlery, cotton and woollen, tin and cop- per, and glass. In all these, great facility is afforded by the abundance and proximity of coal, which is worked, with small trouble and expense, by horizontal shafts penetrating the sides of ihe adjacent mountains, where the coal strata are very thick and regular. The means of water-carriage are already most extensive, and addi- tional canals, in a northerly and north-westerly direction, are in contemplation, or perhaps, in progress. As I wished to arrive as soon as possible at St. Louis, I did not visit the singular establishment of Mr. Rapp, (the German Owen), at Economy — a prettily situated vil- lage, about eighteen miles below Pittsburgh ; I have heard much of its neatness, and of the strange nature of its various arrangements. There are several factories, and the inhabitants, who are mostly Germans, are quiet and industrious in their habits. Mr. Rapp is the patri- arch of the settlement ; his word is law ; and he acts in the capacity of clergyman, judge, and director. No marriage is allowed ; and various other absurd regula- tions are observed, the general impracticability of which 144 EMBARK ON THE OHIO. is concealed by the diminutive scale on which they are practised, by the authority of the chief, by the respecta- bility of the settlers, and by the beauty and attraction of the situation. I have seen some tolerable silks that have been made and dyed in this establishment. CHAPTER XI. Embark on the Ohio. — Banks of the River. — Wheeling. — Remark- able Indian Mound. — Risings of the River — Arrival at Cincin- nati. — The Town. — The Museum. — Manufacture. - — Mrs. Trollope's Bazaar — her erroneous Statements. — Prosperity of Cincinnati. — Hospitality of its Inhabitants. — American Servants. — The Cholera. — Contrast between the States of Ohio and Kentucky. — Character of the Kentuckians. — Brutal Method of Fighting. Having spent a day at Pittsburgh, I committed my- self to the bosom of “ La Belle Riviere ” (as the French used to call the Ohio), on the first steam-boat with a high pressure engine ihat I had yet seen. The noise, the furious and vain attempt made by the confined caloric to escape, and the violent shaking of the vessel, render it more disagreeable than those impelled by low-pressure engines; and, however the western worthies may wish to disguise the truth, they are much more dangerous. While on board, I read an account of the bursting of a boiler a few days previously, lower down the river, by which thirty or forty persons were killed or missing ! I heard a rough Kentuckian chap relating, that he had been on board the steamer at the lime of the explosion ; he said he felt a sort of a “queer shake, but he did not mind it at all and he concluded his pithy narration of the death of these thirty or forty luckless victims by say- ing, “ It was d — d lucky, it was only a parcel of these Dutch meaning thereby that the sufferers were chiefly German emigrants. The Ohio is indeed a noble and majestic stream, flow- 1 ing between high and undulating banks teeming with a„ profusion of foliage, which includes every verdant hue from the willow to the cedar. Wherever clearances WHEELING. GRAVE CREEK. 145 have been made, the trees immediately on the water’s edge have been spared, in order that their huge trunks and wide-spread roots might break the force of the cur- rent, which rises after the melting of the snows to an ex- traordinary height. I observed many of ihem growing, twenty or thirl y feet perpendicular, above the present elevaiion of the stream, with the soil completely wash- ed from their base, and their sinewy fibrous roots exposed above the earth, and giving clear evidence of the furious attacks which they had resisted. This perpetual fringe of verdure, together with the equable and quiet nature of the current, gives a tone of beauty and repose to this river that I have never seen equalled ; while its nume- rous bends, and the islands which here and there break its uniformity, prevent the eye from being cloyed by the profuse and interminable mass of foliage. After passing Wellsburgh and several other villages which bore a busy and thriving appearance, we arrived at Wheeling, situated on the extreme north-western point of Virginia. This is a town of considerable and increasing importance ; the soil is alluvial, and the great- est obstacle to its becoming a very wealthy city, appears to be the extreme narrowness of the ledge on which it is built, there being but a small area between the moun- tains and the river ; so that the streets, if extended, must be extended only longitudinally. The neighbour- hood abounds with coal ; and the great national western road passes through this town, which contains probably from seven to eight thousand inhabitants. Among other objects of interest, a spot was pointed out to me, about fifteen miles below Wheeling, by the side of a stream, called, if I remember right, Grave Creek — an Indian mound, composed of bones and skulls. It is between one hundred and fifty and two hundred yards in circumference at the base, seventy feet high, and sixty feet in diameter at the summit, which is concave ; the whole is regular and uniform in its con- struction. By what race and in what age these gigantic mounds were raised, has hitherto been, and probably ever will be, an unexplained mystery : it seems highly improbable that they were constructed bv any Indian Vol. I.— N 146 RISINGS OF THE RIVER. tribes, so vast are their dimensions, and so great the la- bour necessary to build them, as well as the population requisite to fill them. The average breadth of the Ohio, between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, is six hundred yards, but it varies more than most rivers at the different seasons of ihe year; indeed, the “ freshes,” or rapid risings to which it is lia- ble after heavy rains, are productive of great inconve- nience and sometimes of danger to the residents near its banks. As an instance of the former, I might mention the impossibility of erecting wharfs or quays at different commercial ports, where the want of such conveniences is but poorly supplied by house-boats, or floating wharfs, moored close to the shore. I was told that two or three years ago the river rose sixty feet in height, and flooded all the lower parts of Cincinnati and other towns, so that the inhabitants were reduced to the gondola for their daily intercourse ; provisions were introduced into the houses through the windows of the second and third story, and steam-boats plyed to and from the market-place. The only fault of the scenery, in descending this noble river, is the rich endless variety of foliage which its banks present to the eye, and the want of any breaks or vistas by which a view of the adjacent country could be here and there obtained : it is self-evident, from what has been said of the rising of the water, that such a pictu- resque luxury would be most destructive to the banks. On the last day of spring J arrived at Cincinnati, that precocious daughter of the West, that seems to have sprung, like the fabled goddess of war and wisdom, into existence, in the full panoply of manufacturing and com- mercial armour. Its situation is admirably chosen both for convenience and beauty, as it stands on a plain gently inclining towards the river; the area of this plain is nearly four miles in diameter, bounded on the north, north-east, and north-west by an undulating well-wooded range of hills, from the top of which the view of the fertile vale, the city, and the sweeping river, with its broad bosom speckled by steamers and other boats, is one of the loveliest that the eye can desire. The streets in this city are laid out rectangularly ; and CINCINNATI. 147 thus the eye, in looking along the greater part of them, rests upon the hills before described, which gives a fresh- ness to the prospect rarely to be found in a town. Many of the private houses are large and commodious, and some of them surrounded by pleasant and neatly cultivat- ed gardens ; there are about thirty churches, a college, a lunatic asylum, and one for orphans, and other public buildings usually found in a wealthy city. The museum contains little worthy of notice ; more- over, its contents, mean as they are, are miserably defi- cient in order and arrangement. I was surprised and disappointed, as I had heard much of the valuable collection to be seen in this establishment. There are a few fossil mammoth bones of extraordinary size, and also a number of skulls found in some of the ancient mounds, differing materially in form from those of the modern race of Indians. There are also several banks and insurance companies, and about twenty periodical publications, three or four of which are daily papers ; I also saw one German weekly paper, Der Deutsche Franklin* as well written, and better printed than most of those which I have seen in the provincial towns in Germany. The chief article of manufacture {though there are many others of inferior extent), is iron, in every form and shape, especially in the construction of steam-en- gines. I am told that about one third of the steamers on the Mississippi and Ohio, amounting, in all, to nearly five hundred, have been built here. The population, as near as I can form a calculation from observation and in- quiry, is about forty thousand. They are chiefly com- posed of emigrants from New England, from Germany, from all parts of the States, and, indeed, of the world. The building which is the most absurd, ugly, and ridiculous in the town, exhibiting a want of taste and in- vention only equalled by the contempt which it. displays for every rule of architecture, gothic or classic, is the bazaar built by Mrs. Trollope ; a lady who did all that Lay within the power of her clever and caricaturing pen to * The German Franklin, 148 MANUFACTURES. hold up the inhabitants of Cincinnati to the ridicule of the civilized world, as regards their manners, their habits, a‘nd their taste. This bazaar is a large non-descript edifice of brick, with a stone, or imitation of stone, face : it has pillars, a cupola, gothic windows surmounted by Grecian architraves, and scraps of every order (or dis- order), from a square brick box to an Ionic volute ! Neither can I compliment the lady’s sagacity any more than her taste ; as in this thriving city her speculation is, probably, the most signal and complete failure that has occurred since its settlement ! After losing the greater part of the money embarked in it, she was obliged to leave it unfinished. As far as my short visit enabled me to judge, her ac- curacy of description is upon a par with the monuments which she has left here of her speculative sagacity and taste. 1 have been in company with ten or twelve of the resident families, and have not seen one single in- stance of rudeness, vulgarity, or incivility ; while the shortness of the invitations, and absence of constraint and display, render the society more agreeable, in some respects, than that of more fashionable cities. If the proposition stated is merely this ; “ that the manners of Cincinnati are not so polished as those of the best circles in London, Paris, or Berlin ; that her luxuries, whether culinary or displayed in carriages, houses, or amuse- ments, are also of a lower cast I suppose none would be so absurd as to deny it. I hope few would be weak enough gravely to inform the world of so self-evident a truth ; but I will, without fear of contradiction, assert, that the history of the world does not produce a parallel to Cincinnati in rapid growth of wealth and population. Of all the cities that have been founded by mighty sove- reigns or nations, with an express view to their becom- ing the capitals of empires, there is not one that, in twenty-seven years from its foundation, could show such a mass of manufacture, enterprise, population, wealth, and social comfort, as that of which I have given a short and imperfect outline in the last two or three pages; and which owes its magnitude to no adscilitious favour or en- couragement, but to the judgment with which the situa- PROSPERITY. 149 lion was chosen, and to the admirable use which its in- habiUi.ts have made thereof. When I think of the short period that has elapsed since the red Indian, the bear, the elk, and the buffalo roamed through these hills ; since the river (bearing on its bosom nothing but the bark canoe, or the flat bottomed boat of the Indian trader) flowed in silence through the massive and impenetrable forest ; and turn from that fancied pic- ture to the one now before my eyes, displaying crowded and busy streets, rattling with drays and carriages : fac- tories on all sides, resounding with the regular and mighty swing of the engine ; numerous taper spires pointing to heaven ; thence turn to the river, and see it alive with streaming commerce; and, look beyond over the villages, the neat farms, the orchards, and the gardens — I am filled with astonishment and admiration at the energy and industry of man. and with pride at the self- suggested reflection, that this metamorphosed wilderness is the work of Britain’s sons ; and I do pity, from the bottom of my heart, the man (and, above all others, the Englishman) who can see nothing in such a scene, but food for unjust comparisons, sneers, raillery, and ridicule ! I rode out twice to take a view of the surrounding country. My only acquaintance in the city was with a family whom I had never seen before my arrival, but some members of which I had known at Fayal ; and with a Scotch gentleman and his wife, whom I had met at Washington, and who had lately arrived ; and yet, with these small means of introduction to society, I re- ceived invitations for the evening, several for dinner, and was obliged to. decline two or three polite offers of a saddle-horse, from persons to whom I had been or ly introduced a few hours before. On both occasions when I rode out, I went in company with ladies ; and there was nothing in any of the detail of the equipage that would have caused a smile in a riding party in Windsor or Richmond Park, except that the horses are wont to rack or pace — a kind of gait that I think equally un- graceful and disagreeable, but doubtless combining easy motion wiih tolerable speed. The gentry in our European cities could not conceive, N* 150 AMERICAN SERVANTS. and could hardly be made to understand, the difficulties in which those of their class find themselves here in re- gard to servants. The latter are indeed the most capri- cious of tyrants. Wealthy and respectable families, instead of their proper complement of servants, are sometimes left with one or two maids in the house, and are unable to give a dinner to their neighbours. Moreover, these said tyrants stay exactly as long as they please ; a month, a week, a day, and leave without a moment’s warning, sure of finding immediate employment. On the second morning after my arrival, the proprie- tor of the tavern in which I lodged went to market, as usual, early, leaving his kitchen full of servants, about to prepare breakfast for one hundred and fifty or two hundred ; on his return, he found that the said meal was not forthcoming with its ordinary alacrity ; and on going into his kitchen, discovered that his cook and four of his kitchen-maids had left him, none of them having thought it worth while to tell of their intention. He said they would come or send, in a few days, for their wages, and if they were not immediately paid, would sue him ! My occupations and amusements in Cincinnati were most disagreeably interrupted by a severe attack of cholera. This painful disorder had lately re-appeared in several places in the neighbourhood ; and, although its ravages were not so extensive as in the year 1832, they were sufficient to fill the town with alarm, and to cause similar precautionary and sanatory regulations to those which had been before observed. I was for three days under its baneful influence. On the morning of the second day, after I had gone through the violent depletions which affect the stomach in the first stages of the disorder, the total prostration of strength, and the sharp convulsive cramps which 1 ex- perienced in my legs, gave reason to believe I should probably not recover. I nowdictaled and signed a short letter, and a few testamentary particulars, addressed to the British Legation at Washington, addins a superscrip- tion, that the seal was not to be broken until the news of my death was confirmed.* After this I recollect but * On my return to Washington next year, I had the pleasure of burning this my Cincinnati will. OHIO AND KENTUCKY. 151 little of what passed for some hours. My servant said, that my “ face was just the colour of lead and the phy- sician who attended me told me afterwards, that he gave me, in an hour and a half, one hundred and eighty grains of calomel, in three doses of sixty grains each. A sort of lethargy into which I had fallen, was succeeded by a more natural sleep; and on the third day, the crisis was passed, and, although exceedingly weak and re- duced, I was out of danger. It would be most ungrateful, were I to forget that I received from the family which I have before mentioned, every attention that kindness could dictate or my state admit. The gentleman called on me two or three times a-day, sent me from his house a comfortable pillow, wish- ing to add a better mattress than the one on which 1 lay ; and, moreover, pressed me most earnestly to take up my invalid abode under his roof. There are very few of the older and more luxurious cities where a stranger could expect to meet with similar kindness. It appears to me (from the limited opportunities that I have enjoyed for observing) that no two bordering states in the Union differ so much in the character of their population as Ohio and Kentucky. This difference is partially occasioned by the following causes : — First, Kentucky is a slave state ; Ohio is not. Secondly, Ohio was chiefly settled by Germans, New Englanders, a few British, and, in short, an industrious agricultural class; while Kentucky was chiefly settled by the western Vir- ginians, a wild, high-spirited, and somewhat rough tribe of hunters. Thirdly, the soil of the two states tends to the distinction between them, which I have partly at- tributed to their origin. Ohio contains probably a higher average of good arable land, compared with its whole extent, than any other state in the Union, so that the bear, the wolf, and even the deer, are almost banished from their woods, and agriculture forms the chief employment of the people while Kentucky, although boasting of a fine soil, some tracts of great fertility, and a luxuriant growth of timber, has still large portions of country only trodden by the foot of the hunter, and that of the various objects of hi& 152 COWARDLY PRACTICE. pursuit. These causes (probably combined with others which I have omitted) have produced a wide and marked difference of character. The Ohians are a quiet, indus- trious, peaceable people, carrying the “ republicanism of democracy” (as their German newspapers call it) to its highest pitch ; but too far removed from the scene of action, and not sufficiently congregated in manufacturing or commercial masses, to give to their political feelings the bitterness and personality so prevalent in the East. There is no material difference in the forms of govern- ment of the two states, except ihat in Ohio the gover- nor and senators aie biennially chosen, whereas in Ken- tucky they are elected for four years ; in both, the House of Representatives is annually elected by what may be called universal suffrage, i. e. every citizen, being twenty- one years of age, and resident in the state. The character of the Kentuckians has greater merits and greater faults ; their moral features are more broadly and distinctly marked. Descended, as 1 before said, from the western hunters, and some of them from the more wealthy planters of Virginia and North Carolina, they are brave, generous, proud, frank, and hospitable, but apt at the same time to be rough, overbearing, and quarrelsome. They are extremely vain of their state, and inclined to play the braggart, as well in her praises as their own ; the former fault, / for one, can freely for- give them, as the want of local or home attachment is one of the least agreeable features of American cha- racter. They are, moreover, pretty strongly imbued (pro- bably through their Virginian descent) with a taste for gambling, horse-racing, &c., which is perhaps strength- ened by their frequent intercourse, on their northern and western frontier, with the numerous gamblers, or sports- men,” who come up the river in spring and summer to avoid the heat and malaria of New Orleans and the ad- jacent country. In addition to the above traits of character, there is one of which I cannot speak otherwise than with un- qualified reprobation — I mean the cowardly and almost universal practice of carrying a dirk-knife. This instru- ment, which, like the Italian stiletto, is only fit for the “ ROUGH AND TUMBLE.” 153 hand of an assassin, is displayed upon every occasion. It has ordinarily a blade about six or eight inches long, sharp on boih sides toward the point, and comes out of the handle bv a spring, which also prevents its closing on the hand of the owner. I have seen several well- dressed Kentuckians, who would probably think them- selves injured if they were not considered gentlemen of the first grade, picking their teeth with these elegant pocket companions, in public; and I have repeatedly seen them, while engaged in conversation, employ their hands in opening and shutting this dirk-spring, as a Lon- don dandy on the stage raps his boots and shakes his watch-seals, or sometimes in real life, for want of ma- nual employment, draws his glove on and off, or smooths down the felt of his hat. Now, I would ask any candid Kentuckian, from what “chiv'lrous” precedent (which epithet they are very fond of applying to themselves), or from what principle, just, noble, or Christian, is this habit derivable ? Man is sufficiently irascible, and when angry, prone enough to inflict injury on his fellow-creature, without deliberately furnishing himself with a weapon calculated to occasion death, or permanent mutilation, upon the occasion of the slightest dispute or ebulition of temper. I believe it is Virgil, who, in describing a savage popular tumult, says, “Furor arma minislrat;” and surely experience tests its truth; but this people determine, that the voice of rea- son or reflection shall not have one moment to whisper a suggestion, but that their passions (naturally hot and ungovernable) shall never want a sudden and deadly minister.* It might be supposed, that the coarse and brutal me- thod of fighting, still frequently adopted in this state un- der the name of “ rough and tumble,”, is sufficiently sa- vage to satisfy the parties concerned. In this, as is well known, they tear one another’s hair, bite off noses and ears, gouge out eyes, and, in short, endeavour to de- * This subject is well illustrated by the words in which Macbeth ex- presses his determination to murder the wife and children ofMacDuff; -r“ The very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand V ’ -*-Act iv. sc. 1, 154 “ ROUGH AND TUMBLE.” stroy or mutilate each other ; but this is not considered sufficient, and Birmingham and Pittsburgh are obliged to complete by the dirk-knife the equipment of the “ chi- valric Kentuckian.” I am fully aware that the stories current respecting “ gouging” are exaggerated, and mostly invented ; and I am also aware, that many gentlemen, especially among those of advanced age, in Kentucky, disapprove of these practices ; but the general argument remains nevertheless untouched ; the “ rough and turn- t ble” fight is still permitted by the spectators ; and if two angry men have one another by the throat, and there is no check upon their fury, either in their own feelings and habits, or in public opinion, the result in any country would be similarly savage. They may formerly have had an excuse for constantly carrying a weapon, when their houses and families were hourly liable to be sur- prised by the war-whoop of the Indians ; but against whom is the dirk-knife now sharpened? against brothers, cousins, and neighbours ! One feature that I have always admired in the English character, and, indeed, have looked upon with envy (as my own countrymen, especially the Highlanders, have it not), is their contempt for all lethal weapons, and their honest determined support of fair play in all personal ren- counters. If a combatant in England were to practice any “ rough and tumble” tricks, such as kneeling on a man’s throat or chest when on the ground, or gouging, or biting, he would receive a hearty drubbing from the spectators, and conclude the entertainment (in my opin- ion very deservedly) in the nearest horse-pond in which he could be immersed. I trust that the progress of civilization, and increasing weight of a sounder public opinion, will soon put a stop to the custom above cen- sured, which is not confined to Kentucky, but is more or less prevalent in the whole valley of the Mississippi, especially in Louisiana. LEAVE CINCINNATI. 155 CHAPTER XII. Leave Cincinnati for Louisville. — Reminiscences. — Louisville. — Re- publican Incongruity. — Swearing in the Western States. — Start for Lexington. — Beautiful Scenery. — Curious Sermon. — Arrival at Lex- ington. — Meeting with Miss Martineau. — General Shelby’s Farm. — Situation of Lexington. — Its public Institutions. — System of Education in America. — Lunatic Asylum. — Evening Parlies. — Mu- [ sical Soiree. — A Serenade. — Mr. Clay. — Return to Louisville. — Embark for Saint Louis — Passage down the Ohio. — Robbers’ Cave, — The “ Father of Waters.” On the 4th of June I left Cincinnati for Louisville, on board the Benjamin Franklin. The Ohio still preserved the dignity and majesty of its course ; and I sat on the second and cooler deck of the steamer, being partly re- covered from my late attack, but with my mind and body both somewhat depressed by its influence, in this mu- sing melancholy mood did I look on the mighty stream beneath, and the undulating banks on each side, crowned with every variety of hue and form that the forest-trees, those vegetable giants, could assume ; and memory led me back to those joyous and never-to-be-forgotten scenes, which the annual recurrence of this day used to bring with it, when celebrated by Eton’s sons under old Wind- sor’s towers. Then, indeed, “ all was sunshine in each breast.” The emulation of the rowers — the cheers of their respective supporters — the gallant display of ban- ners and steerers’ dresses — the military bands — made the time-honoured fortress walls echo to the national anthem, and many a young heart beat, and many a young cheek glowed, with a foretaste of the part which they were one day destined to take in Britain’s glories. Alma Mater , Etona ! thy sons little know how they love thee until many years after they have bidden thee farewell : then they turn back to thee with fond and grateful recollec- tions, such as now occupied my musings on Ohio’s stream. 156 REPUBLICAN INCONGRUITY. In twelve hours we reached Louisville, having then run one hundred and fifty miles from Cincinnati, through scenery resembling, both in beauty and character, that be- fore described above the latter town ; for Indiana, which lies on the north-western bank of the Ohio, at this part of its course, is vying with its neighbours in improvement ; and nature has given it extensive tracts of fine soil, which the tide of immigration is rapidly reducing to cultiva- tion. Louisville is a very active busy town, containing about twenty thousand inhabitants. In the spring, and eaily part of summer, it is crowded by fugitives from the neighbourhood of New Orleans, on their way to their va- rious places of refuge from heat and disease. The ho- tel is a spacious building, and might be called handsome, had it not been finished in so slovenly a manner, that, although I saw it only a year after it was opened, the plaster was soiled, and in some places broken up; and the house itself looked as if it had been built more years than it had seen months. In front, there is a large por- tico, supported by ten columns, behind which are the lounging-rooms for the guests; and in summer, the shade of the portico renders it both a tempting and agreeable re- sort. The proprietors were very attentive ; and one of them, agood-looking gentlemanly man, about thirty years old, was so much more smartly and gayly dressed than any of the company (myself included), that I thought he must be a Frenchman from New Orleans, and thus inquired his name and occupation. No one who has visited only the Atlantic cities can be- lieve in the social republicanism of America. I think I have before noted in this journal, that it does not exist there : distinctions of wealth and family, and those, too, well defined and strongly marked, have already appeared, accompanied by a criterion apparently trifling, but, in my opinion, bearing strong evidence, namely, “coals of of arms,” and other heraldic anti-republican signs, which are daily gaining ground. At present, the West presents a much truer picture of republicanism, because the equality existing elsewhere in theory, exists here in fart : nor did I see one individual (for instance) in Louisville REPUBLICAN INCONGRUITY. 157 having more the appearance of a gentleman than the ho teh keeper before mentioned. In this respect, he doubt- less has great advantages over those who follow a similar avocaiion in Britain. But mark here the incongruity of habit and prejudice. The Louisville tavern-keeper, who is called , and is, as much of a gentleman as any of his guests, wails upon them at the bar, in mixing various beverages, and at din- ner when he carves standing, and frequently hands a plate, or performs some similar trifling service; while the American “operative” lad, will not accept, any place as a personal attendant — would feel himself degraded by- brushing a coat, or washing a tea-cup, or tea-spoon, or acting in what he 'would term a “ menial” capacity. On the other hand, John Bull, in the lower class, seeks with avidity the comforts of “domestic” life, in the suc- cessive grades of stable-boy, groom, and coachman, or house-boy, footman, ai d butler ; while the aristocratic hotel-keeper in London, or one who wishes to move in second-rate society, does not permit the association of his name with the hotel, would as st on walk over hot iron as attend the public table, or mix brandy-toddy, and is only known as a respectable gentleman driving his gig to and from his Hampstead villa, or as a smart and con- stant attendant at Taitersall’s, or enjoying his great incog, at some fashionable watering-place. There are many exceptions to this latter remark (and I think these hotels the most agreeable, either in town or country, where the master of the house superintends in person); but there are cases enough to mark the contrast of character in reference to which [ made the observation : for instance, how many of the ladies who have lived weeks and months at the Clarenden Hotel in London have seen the owner! how many know his name? and how many are aware that he is proprietor of several other establishments, the guests in which know r as much of him as themselves? Few could answer affirmatively. I went out to the race-course, as the spring race-meet- ing was going on, and saw one or two heats run in very good time. There was but a small attendance, eiiher of beauty or fashion, and I did not stay long enough to Vol. I.— O 15S BEAUTIFUL SCENERY. avail myself of the opportunity which such a scene of- fers, for making observations on the more rough and un- polished portion of society ; indeed, the swearing of some of the lower orders in the West, especially among the horse-trade! s and gamblers, would shock ears accustom- ed to the language of Billingsgate or a London gin-shop, so full is it of blasphemy ; and uttered in a deliberate and determinate tone, such as to induce the belief that the speaker really wishes the fulfilment of the curses which he imprecates. I have heard the vulgar oaths of many countries, as the French, the English, the Irish, and Scotch, (which three last have different safety-valves of wrath), the Dutch, the German, the Italian, and the Portuguese : of course, they are all vulgar, all more or less blasphemous and disgusting to the ear ; but I never heard them so offensive, or so slowly and deliberately uttered, as in the mouths of the western and south- western Americans. It is but justice to the United. States to say, that this is a vice not generally prevalent, and is held much in the same estimation there as it is in Britain. Louisville is an active and thriving town ; but, like all the others in the West, wretchedly lighted and paved at present. Jtis necessary to mark these two words, as in this most wonderful portion of this wonderful continent, observations of a condemnatory nature are not likely to be true for more than twelve months. After remaining there a day, during which I was still labouring to throw off the yoke of my cholera oppressor, I staited for Lex- ington, in Kentucky, to see a portion of that fine state, and to pay a visit to its brightest ornament, Mr. Clay, to whose eloquence and statesman-like qualities I have in a former chapter referred. The scenery between Louisville and Lexington is un- dulating, rich, and varied, and I could not have seen it at a more favourable season than this, when the thick- pressed ranks of rye were waving in every direction, the young corn was just sprouting, and the clover in full and luxurious bloom ; the woods, also, were adorned by a variety of trees which I had not before noticed, as the BEAUTIFUL SCENERY. 159 coffee-tree* and others, too numerous to mention. One thing alone was wanting to my enjoyment of the scene, that one was health ! without which a terrestrial paradise would be a desert. I had not been able to shake off my pertinacious choleric enemy, and suffered much from his repeated attacks; however, despite the effects thereby induced upon my spirits, when the bright moon arose, and tipt with silver the light and graceful twigs of black- walnut and locust-trees, and the faint breeze waved their tresses in relief against the dark masses of oak, and other impenetrable shades which resisted her beams, it was impossible not to feel, admire, and even enjoy the peaceful beauty of the scene. At least, I was not press- ed in regard to time, for the stage being full, I had hired a sorry horse and gig, from which I was fain to content myself with extracting four miles an hour; and that, too, with considerable expenditure of exertion and whipcord. On the following morning, which was Sunday, I found nrvself rather belter, but still weak and in pain from the evils which follow in the train of cholera ; I went, how- ever, to the Presbyterian church (Frankfurt), where I heard a curious sermon, contending, from the analogy of nature to numerous texts in Scripture, that there is but one way in which man can be saved, and but one right, and saving faith among the various sects of Chris- tianity. The argument was sometimes well supported,; but the discourse appeared to me to fall into an error very common to such subjects, namely, to prove too much. J arrived on Monday evening at Lexington, much im- proved in health. This is a neat, pleasant town, contain- ing a considerable number of locust-trees, and small gardens, which give it a cheerful appearance, while they afford the occasional luxury of shade. Mr. Clay’s residence is about a mile from the town, situated in a pretty woodland scene, somewhat resem- bling an English park. His son-in-law, Mr. E , lives about half a mile nearer to the town, on a plea- sant farm called Woodlands. At the house of this gen- * More commonly known as the Bonduc. In Botany, Guilandina iunca. 160 ARRIVAL AT LEXINGTON. tlemen, I was agreeably surprised at meeting Miss Mar- tineau, who had been there on a visit during the last, fortnight. This lady’s writings are too well known to require any comment upon them here. I differ from many of her opini< ns, but nobody can deny her pos- session of great talent, or refuse her the merit of writing in a clear, consise, and elegant style : moreover, her conversation is agreeable, lively, and varied ; displaying a mind both strong and original, a judgment very deci- sive, though not without prejudice, and a quickness of observation and comparison, that render her an enter- taining as well as an instruciive talker. In company with this pleasant party I went to see a farm, about nine miles from Lexington, belonging to General Shelby. This gentleman has the name of being one of the best cattle-breeding farmers in Kentucky; and he certainly did show us a large and most excellent stock both of cattle and mules. The former are mostly crossed, more or less nearly, from the Durham breed ; one lot, of three years old, was in prime order, and wmuld have extracted a nod of app obation from a Lincolnshire grazier. They were probably worih here about seventy dollars, or fourteen pounds a-head. Mr. Shelby told me ’ that last year he sold a lot of fifty, averaging twelve hundred weight each ! The mules are becoming the most lucrative farm stock in this state; they are found to be so much more serviceable and tough than horses, especially on plantations worked by slaves, where they are apt to be ill-fed and ill-attended to ; a good mule sells here for a hundred and fifty dollars, which is a very high price for a horse. As an illustration, I will merely mention one instance, given to me by Mr. E ■. He bought a fine female ass, two years ago (in foal), for one hundred dollars; she produced a fine male, which he sold for four hundred dollars; she produced a foal again this spring, for which he has refused three hundred dol- lars ; and he sold the dam herself lately for six hundred dollars; so, from this instance there was a clear gain of twelve hundred dollars from one ass in two years ! Mr. Shelby has a great number of mules ; he sold last year 3000 dollars’ worth of them. His pastures are on a fine LEXINGTON, 161 virgin soil, well shaded by noble forest timber, with here and there an open glade (something like an English park). It is scarcely creditable, but undoubtedly true, as I have it from the lips of these gemlemen in company, that this beautiful farm of two thousand acres, together with another in the neighbourhood (of eighteen hundred acres), was bought by Mr. S ’s father for an old rifle l! — at least, for a rifle , whether old or new I know not ! The property is now worth at least sixty dollars an acre (besides the houses, &c.), which, according to Cocker,, would give a sum of 45,000/. sterling, as the value of an estate sold only fifty years since for a rifle ! It makes one angry to see or hear of such luck happening to a fellow-worm ; and when I looked at General S , I almost felt that I had as good a right to the farm as he had. Lexington stands in a large, elevated, and fertile plain. There is scarcely a hill to be seen in the neighbourhood ; but an endless succession of foliage, and corn of every description. On this account it is called the garden of Kentucky, and its inhabitants make very heavy demands upon the admiration of the visiter. For myself, I never could enjoy orapj rjeiate the beauty of a complete level in any part of the w'orld, and, however diversified by gardens, villas, woods, and crops, mv eye always looks for water and for hills, without which no scenery can have any charm for me. This may be very wrong, but I cannot help it ; neither can I participate in the raptures which some express when they get upon the top of a church, and boast of being able to see on every side a boundless plain, terminating only in the horizon. There are several excellent institutions in l.exington : a theological seminary, one of the professors of which is a young English clergyman (minister, also, of the episcopal church here) ; he seems a very interesting young man ; his branch of instruction is chiefly in the Eastern languages; and he assured me that he had seve- ral students familiar with the Hebrew, Syriac, and Chal- dee. He says, that the capacity of the young men in this part of the world is very good, and that there are fewer book-dunces than he remembers at schools in the O* 162 ITS INSTITUTIONS. old country ; but the generality of them are very badly grounded in the classics. The process of mental culti- vation in America is somewhat analogous to their agri- cultural system ; in both cases they look too extensively to the quantity of produce immediately to be obtained, and pay too little attention to the culture and improve- ment of the soil. It has been often remarked, that an American course of collegiate education, extends over a field that would occupy a man of good abilities forty years to master; but a student is supposed to have tra- velled over it in three or four years : and he may have travelled over it; but it is with the same advantage as some of our fashionable London loungers travel over Switzerland and Italy, as fast as well-paid postilions and a light brilchka can take them — they have seen Mount Blanc, and been over the Simplon ; they have visited St. Peter’s and the Coliseum ; have sat in a gon- dola and seen the Bridge of Sighs ; have eaten ice and macaroni in view of the Bay of Naples ; and have yawn- ed admiration before the Apollo, the Venus, and the Car- toons \ Then they return— travellers ! With equal advantage is a youth educated on the en- cyclopaedia system, so pernicious to industry or to ster- ling knowledge and acquirement. The young men who acquire a taste for reading is singularly small in Ameri- ca. They will tell a stranger who makes this observation, that they are tod-busy, that they are engaged in mercan- tile and othe;,y r drs. This, in fact (though a plausible one,) is only an excuse ; they have time enough to give to the theatre, the dance,' the race-course, the trotting- match, the billiard-table, the tavern-bar, &c., but to find a young man, having left college five years, who could read Pindar .and Euripides, or even Horace and Juvenal, for pleasure, would be no easy task — at least among those whom I have seen at New York and the other cities in the United States. To return from this digression to Lexington. There is a college here also, which does not seem to be in a very flourishing state; but a professor is expected soon from New England, who is to establish its reputation for literature and discipline. There is also an orphan LUNATIC ASYLUM. 263 asylum, and one for lunatics ; which latter, like all simi- lar institutions in America, is conducted with regularity and cleanliness, as well as with a praiseworthy attention to all the comforts of which* the unfortunate inmates are capable. In one respect it differs from any that i have visited elsewhere, that I was admitted to see the female part of the establishment. I did not stay there long r for I cannot bear to see that lovely temple in ruins. Some cases, indeed, of monomania and aberration of mind I could contemplate with curiosity and interest; but wo- man in the lowest state of mental or moral degradation, is a spectacle not to be looked upon without painful com- miseration. Among the men was a presbyterian clergyman, a na- tive of Ireland. He was still so wedded to his profes sional dignity, that he would not put on a shirt unless it was marked “ the reverend.” His only companion was an old copy of Virgil. He said, he only read the first six books of the Aineid. I asked him to read me twenty lines ; and, under pretence of not understanding them, prevailed upon him to construe them, which he did with great fluency, without hesitation or mistake. I went to two evening pariies ; and although a person disposed to quiz might have found exercise for his child- ish satire, 1 saw nothing that would not meet a parallel in the society of the larger provincial towns in Britain, and I do not therefore feel inclined to take upon myself the invidious office. At the table of Mr. Clay I met a young gentleman from Germany, of the name of V , on his travels, and heard with much pleasure, that he proposed going to St. Louis, which was also my own destination. I went with him to a musical soiree, at the house of a German, who had been many years in this country, and was com- mander-in-chief of all the musical department in Lexing- ton, from the church-organ down to the boarding-school “ solfeggio.” He was extremely polite ; and the evening passed off rather formally, but tolerably well. When the ladies retired, I also was about to leave the house, as was Mr. V ; but he pressed us to remain and take one stirrup-cup in the old German fashion, of punch 364 A SERENADE. made from the true Rhenish. We did so. We began to sing German songs. Each glass of punch was suc- ceeded by some toast or chorus from the same country, and at length the slumbering national ardour of our host was aroused; the smooth, quiet manner of the Ameri- can music-master was laid aside, as, with clenched hand and glowing cheek, he gave us some of the spirit-stirring lays of Schiller and of the heroic Korner. 0 ye temperance societies ! how many gallons of your inanimate slops might be consumed before ye could in- spire the enthusiasm, or invoke the recollections w r hich our Rhenish bowl awakened, as its noble juice brought the long estranged son of Germany back to the Rhine, and its thousand legends of love, romance, and glory ! We separated about two in the morning, and on our way homeward, V and J (agreeably to a little pre- engaged plan of his with some of the inmates) betook ourselves to a large boarding-house, surrounded by a thick grove of trees, wherein dwelt a considerable num- ber of young ladies, whom we had met at the preceding parties, and whom we now proposed to serenade. Inde- pendently of a good natural voice, V was an adept in the Tyrolese style of singing, or ugling, which I was sure that the fair Kentucuians would hear with surprise and pleasure. Accordingly we placed ourselves under the windows, and commenced our sleep-murdering at- tack by several German, Tyrolese, and Scotch songs;: we could distinctly perceive various pairs of eyes peer- ing through the Venetian blinds, and went away sure of having awakened them, and trusting not to have incurred their displeasure. We left Lexington early next morn- ing ; but before our departure we heard that they were by no means wrath at our infraction of their rest ; they were much pleased with the Tyrolese ugling, but would not believe that it was produced by the human voice unassisted by an instrument. 1 was very sorry to leave Mr. Clay and the interesting society which I met in his son-in-law’s house. Mr.. Clay himself is very frank and agreeable in conversation, especially in regard to politics; he is singularly mild and candid in talking over the persons and opinions of vari- PROSPERITY OF LOUISVILLE. 165 ous parties in the United States, most opposed to himself ; but the place 10 see him in his glory is certainly the senate — there he is powerful and commanding in his eloquence : he has not cultivated those branches of po- lite literature for which Mr. Webster and several other senators are remarkable in private life. We returned to Louisville,, and took the first steam- boat bound for St. Louis, which is about six hundred miles north-west by water : when we embarked, there were about sixteen steam-boats, all of a large class, lying at the wharves ; indeed, this town is scarcely inferior to Cincinnati in the wonderful rapidity of its improvements. I had a long conversation with an elderly gentleman, who owns a considerable number of houses and lots of land, which he sells off for the erection of buildings : according to his account, almost all the money which he had thus invested leturned him about twenty per cent. ; the Louisville Savings’ Hank gives eight per cent, on deposits ; and he assured me that any capitalist of good judgment might invest money upon' excellent security at twelve or fourteen per cent. This may be perfecily true at the present date, but it by no means follows that such a state of things should be durable. The passage down the Ohio from this town to the Mississippi is, if possible, more beautiful than above ; the bluffs are bolder, the banks higher, and the stream is more enlarged and magnificent, extending to a breadth of a mile and a half. We lav to, under a high project- ing rock, to visit a cave, celebrated as having been the refuge of a desperate band of robbers who infested this part of the country some years ago, led by a man named Mason, for whose head the legislature of Illinois (or one of the neighbouring states) offered a reward of 1000 dol- lars. He was betrayed and shot by two of his asso- ciates. The cavern is about forty feet deep, twenty-five wide, and fifteen high ; but the most extraordinary part of it is a natural aperture in the centre of the roof, large enough to admit one man at a time, and opening upon another chamber of similar dimensions to the one below. The current report of the country is, that when this den of thieves was discovered and broken up, it contained 166 THE “ FATHER OF WATERS.” great quantities of gold, silver, silks, stuffs, and false money, with an apparatus for coining it. It was midn'ighi when we joined the “ Father of Wa- ters,” so I rose with the earliest dawn to pay him my homage. I cannot deny that my first feeling was disap- pointment ; he is riot much broader than the lower part of the < >hio, while his stream is extremely muddy, and his banks low and tame ; it is only when you ascend the mighty current for fifty or a hundred miles, and use the eye of the imagination as well as that of nature, that you begin to understand all his might and majesty. You see him fertilizing a boundless valley, bearing along in his course the trophies of his thousand victories over the shattered iorest — here carrying away large masses of soil with all their growth, and there forming islands, destin- ed, at some future period, to be the residence of man; as you approach Saint Louis, these islands become more frequent — the banks more lofty and picturesque ; and while indulging in this prospect, it is then time for reflec- tion to suggest that the current before }mu has flowed through two or three thousand miles, and has yet to travel one thousand three hundred more before reaching its ocean destination. A stranger, however, cannot endure the dirty and mud- dy appearance of the water, although he is told (and with truth that, when placed in a barrel or any other vessel, and allowed to settle, it purifies very rapidly, and becomes excellent drinking water, leaving a sediment of extreme depth and density. All travellers in this part of the world have agreed, that the Missouri has been ill-used in having its name merged, after its junction with the Mississippi; whereas it is the broader, the deeper, the longer, and, in every respect, the finer river of the two: the cause of this apparent incongruity was explained to me in a manner equally simple and satisfactory. When the French first visited this great valley, they came from Canada, and descended the Mississippi ; and seeing another river fall into it at right-angles, near Saint Louis, they naturally viewed it as tributary to the mighty stream whose course they followed, and whose name they preserved ; forget- ST. LOUIS. 167 ting that, in the natural, as well as in the political world, the tributary may often possess more power than he to whom he is supposed to owe fealty. CHAPTER XIII. Situation of St. Louis. — The Catholic new Church. — General Clarke.— Embark for FoTt^Leavenworth. — Requisites for a Tour on the Prai- rie. — The Missouri — Rapidity of its Stream. — Islands. — Fatal Case of Cholera. — Changeful Climate. — Floating Obstructions. — Settle- ments on the Missouri. — Scarcity of Game. — Gigantic Trees. — Fer- tility of the Soil — Precarious Navigation — Magnificent Thunder- storm. — State of Health on board the Steam-boat. — Tedious Progress. Mouth of Osage River — Indian Painting. — Town of Booneville.— Price of Provisions. — Narrow Escape. — Village of Liberty. — Outfit for the Prairie. — A small Prairie. — Swampy Wood. — Reception at Fort Leavenworth- —Prospect from the Heights in its Neighbourhood. — Indian Tribes — Commemoration of the 4th of July. — Pawnee Visiters. — Indian Chorus — Picturesque Scene. — Arrangements to accompany the Pawnees to their Nation. The situation of St. Louis is admirably adapted for a great inland commercial city, as it is built upon a gradual slope rising from the river. Behind it are high and airy plains, which admit^of its being extended advantageously in any direction. It is already the emporium of trade be- yond the Mississippi, and the nucleus of all the traffic with the Indians ; and in proportion as the resources of the vast western region are developed, St. Louis will proba- bly increase in wealth and population. The streets are narrow, ill-paved, and ill-lighted : and there are hut few buildings claiming the traveller’s attention, either by their magnitude or beauty. I was told that the Catholic new church deserved all admiration ; but I could by no means afford it mine, as it is a very large building, with a sort of Grecian portico, surmounted by a kind of steeple, much too diminutive in its proportions, and surrounded by sundry ornaments, which I should have been quite unable to describe, had not my German companion called out upon seeing them, “ Gott bewahr, sie sehen gerade wie bettpfeiler aus.” “ By ! they look exactly like bedposts !” I did not. 168 GENERAL CLARKE. on this occasion, have an opportunity of seeing the inte- rior of the building. I wished to stay a short time at St. Louis, being de- sirous to see its society, and having just made the ac- quaintance of the veteran General ( larke, whose tra- vels to the Rocky Mountains are well known to all general readers, and who had probably gained more laurels than any man living in contests with the buffalo, the grisly bear, and the wild Indian. He was, during my visit to St. Louis, Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the United States, and was held in high respect and estimation by the various tribes composing that hetero- geneous race.* My plans were, however, frustrated; for, hearing that a steamer was to start in a few hours for the Upper Missouri, and that I might not get another similar opportunity, I thought it advisable to seize it, and accordingly embarked on board the steam-boat Han- cock, bound for Fort Leavenworth. I employed the few hours which intervened in provid- ing myself with some of the most obvious requisites for a lour on the prairie ; such as saddles, blankets, &c., and a few trifling presents for the Indians whom I migh wish to propitiate. Taking with me as little luggage as possible in saddle-bags, I set forth upon a tour of which it was impossible for me to fix the locality or extent ; but having for its object the manners and habits of the extreme West, and of the tribes beyond the American settlements. It was with extreme regret, that I learned we must pass the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi in the night, as I wished to observe the different colours of their respective streams, which are as remarkably dis- tinct as those of the Rhine and its tributary Moselle. At daybreak we were already in the Missouri, which appeared almost as large, as muddy, and as rapid as 1 he river below St. Louis. The banks are well-wooded and * The veteran has departed this life since the above remarks were written. By most of the tribes on the Missouri he was called their “Father,” or “ Sandy-haired Father;” as the President of the United States is, in all their talks or treaties, styled their “Great, or Grand, Father.” 1839. V THE MISSOURI. 169 undulating ; and in this respect I was agreeably disap- pointed, as I had been led to believe that we were to pass merely through a flat prairie country. The most re- markable feature in this mighty stream is its rapidity,* and the huge masses of timber thus hurried on to the ocean. Large trees are seen in every direction, and in every state, from the dangerous “ snag,” with his head just rippling the water which hides him, to the monarch of the forest, with all his “ blushing honours thick upon him.” Here and there vast masses of wood are collect- ed, bearing almost the appearance of timber seasoning in harbour; and in other places they are already so consolidated with settled mud, that the elements of vege* tation begin to appear; and the prophetic observer sees before him an island destined one day to be, perhaps, both populous and fertile. There is nothing that conveys a better idea of the magnitude and power of this noble river, than the islands which he has formed in his descent ; one of those we passed on the first day, was eight miles long and one mile broad, covered with timber, and the few places cultivated giving already ample evidence of the richness of the alluvium. We were rendered somewhat uneasy by the state of health on board, several cases of cholera having occur- red, one of which terminated fatally. The sufferer was buried in a retired and beautiful forest spot, where no surviving friends or relatives will visit his tomb, which is in one of the loveliest recesses of a temple now dedica- ted to Silence and Solitude ! It will not be long, how- ever, ere it echoes to the sound of the axe, and becomes, perhaps, a busy mart of traffic, or a thriving farm. * It is difficult for a mere passing traveller to form an estimate of the speed of the stream on which he is sailing ; it requires patient obser* vation and experiment. As I had neither time nor means for doing it accurately, it may be as well to repeat here, that, according to Lieute- nant Clark and Major Long, the average rapidity of the Missouri is about a fathom per second (very little more than four miles per hour) ; but in running over sand bars and other impediments, it often doubles that rapidity : its mean descent is somewhat less than five inches to the mile, which is much the same as that of the Amazon and Ganges, a6- cording to Major Rennell. VoL. I.— P 170 the choleha. The disease did not appear at first in its most viru- lent form, and we entertained great hopes that the de- stroyer would not long hover over our vessel, as we were crowded into a small cabin, and were not going at more than twu or three miles an hour, owing to the immense force of the current. I never experienced or conceived such changeful or unhealthy weather. On the 20th the heat was most oppressive ; we sat at half past nine p. m. on the deck, perspiring, without hat or coat, and could scarcely bear a sheet on the bed. On the 22d of June the cold was severe. Most' of the passengers wore their great-coats, and added two blankets and a coverlet to their bedding; we kept, moreover, a good fire in the cabin stove ! This change occurred in about two hours l Who can wonder at the fevers, agues, and bilious dis- eases prevalent in such a climate? We were delayed by the usual accidents which occur on this stream, none of an alarming nature ; but the pad- dle boxes and buckets were repeatedly broken by the timber which they necessarily and frequently encoun- tered. The quantity of these floating obstructions was so great, that it was impossible to keep on our course by nighi, and consequently we did not make more than twenty or thirty miles each day 1 I derived one advantage from the frequent stoppages which we made, in the opportu- nities thereby afforded of making excursions into the woods bordering upon the river. The settlements or clearances on the Missouri are generally very unhealthy, and will, probably, remain so for some years. The houses of the settlers are almost universally log huts, composed of two separate cabins, divided by an open space, for the circulation of air in summer, but both covered by the same roof, which is, of course, composed of shingles. In this part of the country there are but few deer remaining, as the settlements are so numerous, and every settler is a hunter ; besides which, the season was unpropitious for finding game, as in summer they only appear in the morning and evening, and retire to the thick brush to protect them from the heat of the mid-day sun. But the beauty of the vegetable world is unparalleled; GIGANTIC TREES. 17i ihe trees exceed in height anything that I have before observed, and their variety is so great as utterly to con- found so unpractised a botanist as myself. As regards magnitude, the cotton-wood and sycamore appear to be monarchs of the forest ; they often rear their enormous trunks to forty or fifty feet, with little diminution of bulk. I measured one at about five feet from the ground ; it was nineteen feet in circumference ; but I have no rea- son to believe that it was a remarkably large specimen.* These lofty trees are rendered picturesque and graceful by the vines which twine round their gigantic limbs, and hang in wavy festoons, making, in some places, natural arbours of impenetrable shade ; while the humbler brushwood is adorned with wild roses and other shrubs of equal and rarer beauty. A great proportion of the land on both sides of the river is occupied, and varies in price from one dollar and a half to five dollars per acre, according to its proximity to the rising villages, mills, or similar advantages. The depth and inexhaustible fertility of the soil are too well known to require comment ; whatever terms may have been used in describing them can scarcely be exaggera- tions. It cannot, however, be denied that this favoured part of the country is liable to many objections : the naviga- tion of the Missouri is very precarious ; when the water is high the stream is extremely strong and rapid ; be- sides which it carries with it large and dangerous drifts of floating timber; when low, it is full of snags and mud bars; the navigation is impeded in the winter by the ice ; and the climate is variable to a degree scarcely credible in Europe. There was a magnificent thunder-storm on the night of the 24th, about one o’clock. I rose from my bed to enjoy the sight, and was amply repaid for the loss of an hour’s sleep ; the whole western sky was illuminated by broad and fitful sheets of lightning, so bright at times as to light up the mighty river, and to show distinctly * I believe this tree, which I call “ sycamore,” is Plantanus occiden UUit. > 172 THUNDERSTORM. the bold and varying features of its banks ; in a moment again all was black and still, nighi bad thrown her mantle over the scene, and silence resumed her empire ; then the thunder muttered from its distant couch, and again the brilliant illumination succeeded; the peals grew louder and louder, till at length they burst and rattled so near above us, that I could almost believe the alarmed forest trembled beneath their wrath. A torrent of rain closed the scene. I retired 10 my berth deeply impress- ed with the might of Him whose right hand launches and checks these fiery ministers ! Gray has been much and deservedly praised for the stanza, in wltich he directs our attention to the “ flowrets born to blusb unseen but is there not as ample a theme for meditation in the parallel, though opposite picture, of the unseen wonders of the wilderness, the hurricane, the cataract, the whirlwind, whose mighty footsteps I have traced in the primitive forest, where whole acres of prostrate timber attest the power that smote them ; some broken sheer ihrough the middle, others rearing their scathed and blackened tops ; some again of vast size bent and curved like willows, and others uprooted, their once lofty heads buried in the mighty stream destined at no distant period to sweep them down to ccean, or to use them as materials in the formation of islands, which it is his yearly pastime to create ? How have I longed to behold but for once this elemental strife, whose desolating effects are so awful l My half waking half-sleeping meditations were some- what disturbed by finding myself, at five o’clock, soaked in water, owing to the bad construction of the deck, and I left my berth under some apprehensions of rheumatic consequences. The state of health on board continued most distress- ing ; many of the passengers were suffering under attacks of cholera in various forms ; some groaned with pain, and some, I believe, w 7 ere ill from mere imagination and terror : besides the man whom we had buried a day or two before, tw r o or three were landed in a dying state ; one of whom was so near his latter end, that as some difficulty was made by the crew about carrying him PAINTED ROCKS. m from the landing-place to the tavern, two hundred yards off, he would have been left to die on the bank, as the poor wretch seemed to have^neither friend nor acquaint- ance'^ assist him, had not a few of the cabin passen- gers carried him up and left him in the care of the tavern-keeper. I was one of this sad party, and I have little doubt that in less than an hour the poor sufferer had closed his eyes among strangers, far from the affec- tionate attentions with which love and kindred are wont to soothe the anguish of a dying bed ! The banks of the river continued to present the same variety of bluffs and rich alluvial bottoms, and the weather the same change of cold, heat, wind, and rain ; the boat was the slowest and the most ill-arranged that I had yet seen in America. The boilers being leaky, and the machinery out of order, caused a constant succes- sion of delays and stoppages, consequently we did not make more than thirty miles in the twenty-four hours. On the 25th we passed the mouth of Osage river, one of the great tributaries to the Missouri; its length is about one thousand miles, and I believe the lower part of its course is through a very rich and heavily-timbered valley : it falls into the great river about one hundred miles above St. Louis. We passed also some fine precipitous rocks on which are numerous specimens of Indian painting. These consist chiefly of representations of sirange figures (ChimcercB dirce), buffaloes, and other animals. They were originally red, but time and the weather have* so worn out the colour, that they were not distinguishable from the part of the river where we passed, so that I was obliged to take the word of the passengers and other persons well acquainted with the neighbourhood ; moreover, I believe, they are the same a& those mentioned in the travels of Lewis and Clarke, by the name of the Great Manitou Rocks, having been formerly sacred to the Great Spirit among ^he tribes who inhabited this district.* Among the towns which we passed, the most deserv- * See Wordsworth’s Sonnet to Duddon, No. xvi, P* 174 EOONVILLE. FRAKKLIN. ing of notice is Booneville, situated on a plain about two hundred feet above the river, of which it commands a beautiful vieiv ; it is surrounded by fine undulating woods and fertile fields. Ii contains shops, warehouses, and a court-house, besides a tavern, dignified by the name of a hotel. Some of the houses are of brick, but the greater proportion are framework : it is altogether one of the prettiest and most promising settlements in Missouri, and the lots of land are nearly equal in value to those of St. Louis. On the opposite side of the river is Franklin : it is, I believe, an older settlement than Booneville ; but is more low, unhealthy, and in every respect worse situated, as regards its prospects either of pleasure or profit. Both salt and coal are found in this neighbourhood ; the former is manufactured in a manner resembling the salt- works near the Ohio; the latter sleeps, I believe, undis- turbed in its bed. I went into one house which had been struck by lightning the preceding night; several parts of the interior plastering had been scattered about the rooms, but little serious damage was done. We experienced one very severe shock tn the steam-boat, which actually trembled, but received no injury. In this part of the country, beef sells at three pence per pound, chickens at two-pence halfpenny sterling, common horses at forty or fifty dollars, and land at va- rious prices, from one dollar and a half to five dollars per acre. On the 20th, nothing of any consequence occurred ; but we ran aground once or twice on a bar, and had one very narrow escape, which is worth relating, as it shows the difficulties attending the navigation of this extraor- dinary river. The pilot, who was considered one of the most experienced in his profession, steered us up a narrow channel between an island and the river bank ; and when we reached the point where it again joined the main stream, the passage was effectually blockaded by an enormous and solid raft of floating timber: when be came down a short time ago, this channel was per- fectly free; it would now have defied Admiral Rodney, or any other bold line-breaker. A deposit of mud wa& NARROW ESCAPE. 175 already lodged on a considerable portion of it, and a few infant willows and poplars had made it their nursery. The stream was running with great velocity — there was little room for turning the steamer, and just below us was a most formidable snag in the mid-stream. After manoeuvring for at least twenty minutes between this vegetable Scylla and Charybdis, the pilot succeeded in clearing the snag, and returning down the stream to seek a more favourable outlet. We were not aware of having been in any danger; but the captain afterwards informed us that, if we had got across the snag, the boat would have split up and gone to pieces, and we did not miss it by more than six inches ! This may seem extraordinarv to those who do not know the vast size and bulk of the embedded tree forming the snag, the extreme force and rapidity of the current, and the slight materials of which these steamers are built : at all events, our captain assured us that he had rarely ex- perienced more uneasy sensations than during those few minutes. In spite of accidents and current, we found ourselves on the 9ih day, at Liberty, the last western village in the United Stales. Here we were obliged to stay two or three days, to make preparation for our trip into the wilderness. The most essential purchase was in the horse-market : the quantity of animals brought in for me to try was considerable, and in twenty-four hours I found myself and my companion owners of five ponies and a mule ; being two for our own riding, one for my servant, and three for paikirig. I shall make an extract from the account of the store where we provided our- selves with all the requisites for the prairie, as a kind of memorandum and illustration of the articles most necessary for an excursion among the western tribes. Being already provided with arms, saddles, laryettes or tethers, blankets, a bear-skin, pack-saddles, and horses, (which last averaged about forty dollars a-piece, of a small size,) a box of vermilion, to make presents to In- dians withal, and a very small assortment of hunting clothes, I provided at the outfitting store the following items : — 10 lbs. of lead, 6 lbs. of shot, 20 lbs of coffee, 176 OUTFIT. 12 lbs. of salt; an assortment of rings; beads of all colours and sizes ; wampum * x mirrors, knives, and other trifles for presents ; 24 lbs. of sugar, three pack-blankets and sacks, a bottle of pepper, some tin cups, a bucket, one copper kettle, two tin pans, a frying-pan, a jug, two canteens for water, two jugs for brandy, 10 lbs. of pow- der, 50 lbs. of bacon for frying, eating, &c. ; these, and a few other sundries, make a somewhat troublesome freight for one or two mules and ponies, especially if it be considered that the most important article is not yet included, namely, bread or flour, in some shape or other, which is necessary to the extent of 70 or 80 lbs. for three persons, as it is a very long journey before the hunter can expect to find buffalo ; and then he may be disappointed, as they shift their ground very much. The whole of this outfit, including five horses and one mule, was little more than 300 dollars, or 60/. On the 2d of July we started for Fort Leavenworth, the western military post of the United States; but si - uated about twenty miles beyond the states’ boundary, in a kind of neutral ground, belonging neither to the red nor the white man, but on which both are forbidden by the law of the country to settle. About ten miles from Liberty we came to the first prairie which I had crossed in Missouri : it was eight miles broad, consisting of beautiful undulations of pasture, adorned with bright and various flowers,, and studded with numerous little islands of timber, so regular in their form and so taste- fully disposed, as to induce the traveller to believe that Messrs. Knight, Brown, and other “ picturesque” and “ capability” brethren, had laid it out with the most ex- act care. I was quite aware that this was but a lake, compared to the ocean of prairie which I was yet to see in the far West; but as it was bounded on all sides by a noble forest of timber, the scenery was equally new and delighiful. .. *“ Wampum.” This word is a corruption of “ Wampampea,” In- dian money ; so called by the Narragansets, and other tribes found in New England by the first British settlers: it was of two kinds, white and black ; the one made of the shell of the periwinkle ( Buccinum un- datum Lin.) ; the other of that of the clam (Venus mercenana Lin.); both belong to the class Vermes tcslaeca. MUSQUIT0E3 177 After a pleasant ride of about thirty miles, during which we crossed with some little difficulty the river Platte (which frequently rises or falls thirty feet in a week), we came to a low 7 swampy wood, where the mud was about a foot or a foot and a half deep (the weather being fine and dry). The road (if it can be so called) wanders ad libitum round clumps, fallen timber, and bushes, leaving every traveller to select the places where he is least likely to stick fast : and here let me not fail to record the high talents in strategy displayed by sundry light troops called musquitoes, that, with true Indian cunning, lie in ambush in this dense swamp, and dart out upon the helpless wanderer in swarms, when his utmost exertions cannot urge the fleetest steed to a pace above a struggling walk. Arming our hands with branches, like Macduff’s soldiers of old, our souls with fortitude, and our mouths with cigars, we forced our way gallantly through opposing myriads without receiving mote than a thousand wounds, and arrived safe on the banks of the river, thankful for having escaped the muddy perils of the “ Missouri bottom.” It was too late to ferry over our horses, which we accordingly left on the northern bank. We crossed in a canoe ; and, with our saddlebags on our arms, made good our entrance about nightfall into the fort. Most of the officers were absent wdth Colonel Dodge’s ex- ploring expedition to the Rocky Mountains, one which I had been myself so anxious to join, but from Lieute- nant C , the commanding officer, and one or two others who happened to be in the fort, we received the most polite and hospitable attention. Fort Leavenworth is situated on a promontory formed by a sweeping bend of the Missouri, on the southern side of the river, of which it commands a fine view. It is considerably elevated above the bed of the stream, and the country immediately adjacent is prairie, thick- ly scattered with timber and brushwood. At the distance of a mile from the cantonment rises a semicircular range of heights, to the top of which I soon made my way, and w 7 as repaid by as fair a prospect as ever gladdened the eye of man. Looking towards 178 KICKAPOO TRIBE. the north, below me was the fort, with its scattered white buildings, bearing the appearance of a neat little village among the trees; beyond it were seen fifteen or twenty white tents, being the encampment of a body of Indians, moving westward, under the superintendence of an Indian agent; their dusky and blanketed forms scarcely visible, as they strode from tent to tent, while around were browsing their mules and ponies ; here and there might be seen two or three galloping their wild little steeds from one part to another of the plain be- low : beyond the fort was the magnificent river, here showing the full expansive breadth of its course, and there to be traced only by broken glimpses caught through the surrounding trees ; while on its opposite bank rose the verdant and multitudinous mass of primitive forest, defying the eye to scan, or the mind to reduce to mea- surement, its acres and miles of extent. I had then but to turn round, and look towards the south, when the eye wandered over a vast undulating prairie, and reposed at length upon a far distant range of hills, just discernible through the rich sunny haze in which they were mantled. In the description of scenes like These, the inefficiency of language is felt, and one cannot help acknowledging the truth of Byron’s coarse, but forcible imagery, when he says we become “ dazzled and drunk with beauty.”* Within twenty or thirty miles of Fort Leavenworth are settled a great variety of Indian tribes, most of them emigrants from the country now inhabited by the whites, especially from the stales of Illinois and Michigan. The nearest to the fort are the Kickapoos, who are settled in a village distant from it about four miles. They are a weak and daily decreasing tribe ; their natural properties are much changed by constant communication with the whites. There is a Methodist missionary resident among them. The fort is supplied with beef and other meat, chiefly by a farmer who lives in the Great Bottom, immediately opposite to it. Among other articles fpr the supply of * This idea occurs so frequently in German poetry, as to be familiar tp every one ^yhp is ponversant with the 1 jteratprp pf that country. commemoration festivities. 179 the table, one of the most abundant to be met with here, is the catfish. I found it somewhat coarse, but not un- palatable eating. These fish are caught of a most enormous size, and in great quantities, by the settlers, on the banks of the river; one of whom told me that he caught four in the course of one morning, weighing above fifty pounds each. On the 4ih of July, the usual commemoration took place, of firing twenty-four guns ; after which ceremony we adjourned to an excellent dinner ; and madera and champaign were the order of the day. We had spent an hour or two in the festivities of the table, when news was brought in that a hundred and fifty Pawnees had arrived under the guidance of Mr. Dougherty, one of the principal Indian agents ; and, upon an invitation from the officers, twelve or fourteen of their chief war- riors came into the mess-room. I had already seen many Indians, but none so wild and unsophisticated as these genuine children of the wilderness. They filtered the room with considerable ease and dignity, shook hands with us all, and sat down comfortably to cigars and madera. I was quite astonished at the tact and self-possession of these Indians, two-thirds of whom had never been in a settlement of white men before, nor had ever seen a fork, or table, or chair in their lives ; yet, without asking questions, or appearing to observe what was passing, they caught it with intuitive readi- ness, and during the whole dinner were not guilty of a single absurdity or breach of decorum. The dress of these Indians consisted of a belt of deer- skin round the middle, with a flap passing between the legs, and fastened again to the belt behind. Their legs were covered with tight leggins of deer-skin, and their feet by moccasins ; while their shoulders were loosely and gracefully covered, or half covered, by a blanket or buffa- lo-skin. Most of them had ear-rings, bead-necklaces, and armlets; and the two principal chiefs wore round their necks a large medal each, on which was engraved the head of the late President of the United States. The greater part of them were lusty, and a few even fat, giving no outward evidence of the privations to which 180 SAVAGES FEASTINC. their mode of life renders them so liable. Generally speaking, they were of middle height, with fine chests, arms well-proportioned 'out not muscular, and remarka- bly fine-shaped legs. I do not think there was a coun- tenance among them that could be pronounced hand- some, though several were pleasing and good-humoured ; but the prevalent character of their expression was haughty impenetrable reserve, easily distinguishable through the mask of frank conciliation, which their pre- sent object rendered it expedient for them to wear. As we in our mirth sang one or two choral songs, we called upon our red brethren. They rose all at once; and I never shall forget the effect of that first Indian chorus which I ever heard. Each singer began, by strange and uncouth sounds, to work his mind and lungs up to the proper pitch of excitement ; and when at length their shrill and terrible cry rose to its full height, its effect was astounding, and sufficient to deafen a delicate ear. Then again they would allow their strain to fall into a monotonous cadence, to which they kept time with inflections of the head and body, and again burst forth into full chorus of mingled yell and howl. In an hour the party broke up; and as the twilight was setting in, I jumped on my horse to gallop off the effects of wine, noise, and smoke. After riding till the moon was pretty “ high in heaven,” I returned to the fort, and, within a few hundred yards of it, enjoyed a scene, only transferable to the imagination of another by the pencil of Rembrandt or Wouvermans. In the midst of the encampment, the white tents of which showed like snow in the moonlight, were eight or ten large blazing fires, round which the savages were gathered in circles, roasting on rough sticks huge - fragments of a newly-killed ox. The greater part, of them were naked, except the before-mentioned belt round the middle ; and their dusky figures, lighted par- tially by the fitful glare of the crackling wood fire, seemed like a band of demons gathered round one of the fabled caldrons of necromancy. Recognizing one of the chiefs who had joined us at the dinner table, and Mr. Dougherty, smoking with him, in one of these grim 1 SAVAGES FEASTING. 181 circles, I and my young German friend leaped off out horses, which an Indian held for us, and advanced to wards the chief. Room was immediately made, and a buffalo-skin given us to sit upon. We shook hands, and smoked together. Soon the ribs of beef were declared “roasted,” and an Indian having cut and torn them apart, laid one before Mr. Dogherty, one before the chief, and one before us. I had not much appetite so soon after a good dinner ; however, I had read and heard too much of Indian pre- judices to decline, and accordingly ate two or three mouthfuls of half-raw meat, which would have been very palatable to a hunter or starved traveller. The scene around baffled all description : the savages scat- tered about in every sedentary or recumbent attitude that man or monkey can assume, tearing the meat from the bone with their strong teeth, and masticating slices, each of which would beada^’s dinner to a Yorkshire plough- man, our horses standing in mute astonishment by, and the background of the picture occupied by distant groups, collected also round their fires, produced alto- gether an effect neither to be described nor forgotten. Having formed a hasty, but determined, resolution, of accompanying these Pawnees in their return to their na- tion, I was anxious to derive all the benefit possible from the advice and assistance of Mr. Dogherty, who being the negotiator of all their treaties with the United States, and being tolerably familiar with their language, possessed great influence with the tribe. This gentleman entered most obligingly into my scheme ; he held a talk with the leaders of the party ; told them that I was “ a great chief among while men ; that l was a son or relative of their grandfather; and that, if they killed me, or did me any injury, I should be revenged,” &c. He also gave me useful directions for my own conduct among them, ad- vising me never to joke at any of their religious or “ me- dicine” ceremonies, however absurd ; never to play or become too familiar with them ; to conciliate them as much as possible by presents, but not to allow them to rob me ; and, above all, if they tried to impose upon me, or to bully me out of any point where I was sure that I Vol. I.— Q 182 WILD EXPERIMENT. was in the right, to resist firmly, and give them the idea that I would maintain my object without regard to my life. He said, that by observing these hints I might spend a summer among them, and probably return in safety, barring the accidents that might arise from quar- rels, or war-parties of hostile tribes, and other casualties incidental to the wild irregular life in the prairie. "We spent two or three days very pleasantly at the fort, and completed our preparations and packages, which is a much more unpleasant, or rather tiresome, business, than can be imagined by those accustomed to civilized life, where its comforts can be procured for money ; while in the wilderness to which we w r ere bound, ihe only resource was the rifle, and such provisions as we could take. We tried in vain to get a half-blood In- dian, or any other attendant accustomed to camp-hunt- ing, and accordingly were obliged to trust ourselves alone with the savages, the only means of communication be- ing through an interpreter, w T ho spoke very bad French, very good Pawnee, and no English. This seemed a strange and wild experiment ; but having complete con- fidence in the agent who sanctioned our so doing, I hired a lad, the son of the garrison mess-man, to assist in lead- ing the pack-horses, cooking, &c., and set forth on the 7lh of July. PAWNEE CHIEFS. 183 CHAPTER XIV. Pawnee chiefs with whom I started. — Leave Fort Leavenworth. — Roll- ing Prairie. — Halting Place. — Loss of Horses. — Flock of Perroquets. — Our stray Horses. — Indian Appetite. — Accidents by the Way. — Overtake the Pawnee Deputation. — Esculent Roots. — Deer-stalking in the Prairie. — A Misfortune. — Cross the Great Nimahaw River. — Party in Search of Elk. — Rejoin the Camp. — Tired Horse. — False Alarm of Chill and Fever. — The Kanzas River. — My Dog killed and eaten. — Fatiguing Travelling. — Friendly Reception. — Effect of whis- key on the Indians. — Indian Village — Occupations of the Men, Wo- men, and Children. — The old Chief. — Buffalo Meat. — Jrder of March. — Pawnee Summer Lodge. — Medicine. — First Night in the Pawnee Lodge. — Dogs. The names of the four principal Pawnee chiefs with whom I started were ( nearly ) as follows : — Sa-ru-tsa-rish, or “ wicked-chief,” grand Pawnees ; Le-pre-colo-'hoo-la-charo, or “ mouth-chief,” Tapage Pawnees ; Pa 6 -taMa®-cha’ro,* or “ man-chief,” grand Pawnees; Too-la-la-cha-shu, or “the man who runs,” grand Pawnees. Having left Fort Leavenworth with the Pawnees about eleven o’clock, we travelled, rather to the north of west, twenty-five miles, through a beautiful rolling prairie, in- terspersed with trees, which were so regularly and care- fully grouped as to remind me of Windsor and other no- ble English parks ; but these had the additional advan- tage of forming part of a woodland scene boundless in extent, and for the first ten miles the picturesque and broken heights which confine the Missouri increased the beauty of the prospect. The grass, which was extremely rich and luxuriant, was sprinkled with gay flow r ers, which were mostly unknown to me, although I had seen some as tenants of a British hothouse, as several varieties of I the “ cactus,” and others, whose names, vulgar or scien- tific, I am unable to record. J * The son of the Maha, or Pawnee Loup chief, was also with the deputation. 184 FLOCK OF PERROQUETS. We camped, with our good-humoured savages, at sun- set, on the banks of a creek* thinly clothed with brush- wood, where the mosquitoes were not much more nu- merous than the flies in a sugar cupboard. Having re- leased our horses and mules from their saddles and packages, w r e proceeded to cook our supper, consisting of tea, fried ham, and sea-biscuit. The night was ex- tremely foggy and cold ; and, on rising at daybreak, we made the agreeable discovery that four of our animals, including a mule, had broken away from their respective fastenings, and were nowhere to be found. I despatched the younger of our attendants and an In- dian in pursuit; meanwhile the savages proceeded on their journey, leaving us in total ignorance of the “ lo- cale” of our quadruped deserters. It was a dull and weary day, and gave ample scope for an attack of the blue devils. In seasons like these, when the solitude and monotony of the prairie are not relieved bv the ex- citement of travelling or the chase, the ghosts of remem- bered social enjoyments are apt to intrude on the wan- derer’s waking dreams ! Could some of those with whom he has shared them, and who are still within their sphere, only imagine how often they are called up by fancy or memory to cheer the hours of absence, I cannot but think it would augment their happiness. By the enchantment thus lent by distance, the ordinary and daily occurrences of social intercourse(soapt to be ungratefully passed over) are seen in their fairest colours, and a walk, a ride, a word, a smile, recalled to mind, become food for delight- ful, though somewhat melancholy, rumination. I rambled about the woods near our halting-place, with my fowling-piece in my hand, and Peevish by my side, but found nothing feathered upon which to exercise my skill except a small flock of green Perroquets. (I be- lieve, the species called Psittacus ntfirostris.) I killed half a dozen, and we cooked them for supper ; they were fat, and by no means unpalatable. I retained some of the more gay and brilliant feathers as presents for the Indians. * A small river or stream is invariably so denominated in this part of the world. ACCIDENTS. 185 On the following day, our lad returned with the Indian and two of the stray horses, leaving us minus the largest mule and a very pretty little mare, which last I had de- stined to the honour of bearing me to charge the buffalo. We called a council, to decide whether we should return to the fort, recover the remaining estrays, and seek some other opportunity; or place our packages on the two re- maining animals, and proceed at all risks. The spirit of adventure prevailed, and we determined to follow the Pawnees immediately. It should be added, more I fear to the praise of the horses’ endurance than of our huma- nity, that the two recovered fugitives, one of which was my favourite riding-mare, had gone the whole way back to the fort, and thence been again ridden hard to our camping-place, making in all seventy-five miles, without rest or food, except what they could pick up by the way. This was not a good “ preliminary” for a long journey of a thousand miles more or less. I had been lucky enough to kill a fawn, (the only deer seen since we left the fort,) which furnished us a good supper, and no more; for never did \ see anything equal to the appetite of our Indian. Ribs, head, shoul- ders, &c., disappeared one after the other. He quietly ate everything placed before or near him, without the slightest symptom of diminished power; and I was not then aware of the incredible capacity of Indians, or of their notion that it is impolite to decline proffered food under any circumstances whatsoever. We rode on, under a hot sun, but with a fine breeze, through a country rather less rich in timber and foliage, and camped at night, having made about thirty-four miles : course, W.N.W. Not being yet accustomed to pass the night under the free star-lit vault, I did not sleep much; but it did not matter, as my young German companion slept enough for both. The 9th of July was a continued chapter of accidents, commencing with a somerset performed by my little mule, that was carrying about. 250lbs. with which he attempted to scramble up a s 1 ' 11 ‘ 1 of which was a pond, about . > I 1 — | immortalized cat, he “ tumbled headlong in,” his whole Q* 186 ACCIDENTS. load falling on him, and would probably have been drowned or smothered, had not one of the men jumped in, and cut all the cords and thongs that bound him. For a few minutes, our provisions, consisting of sugar, flour, 4 and biscuit, as well as our presents for the Indians, such as powder, vermilion, tobacco, &c., remained under wa- ter, very much to our consternation and annoyance : nor do I think the strongest advocate for cleanliness and cold water that ever drew breath, could have viewed that immersion with satisfaction. The invulnerable mule was unhurt, and repacked. A few miles farther, he thought fit to amuse us with feats of activity and sleight of foot, galloped off the path, and did not cease kicking and plunging till he had deposited every article of his pack on the prairie, and had totally freed himself from his harness, or, in the convenient language of patriots, the “trammels of office.” This, though laughable enough, was scarcely pleasant, as we were in a hurry. Jt was impossible, however, to be angry with the little wretch, who had not the least vice in him, but grazed quietly near his late rejected load, and suffered its scattered parts to be replaced without any signs of alarm or discontent. We thus lost a great deal of time, especially as our attendants were extremely slow and awkward in pack- ing; and I know not whether the French interpreter muttered' more curses upon the activity of the mule or the tardiness of his drivers. The anger of fate was not yet appeased ; and, after another ten miles, the poor little mule was again laid low in a miry creek, where he rolled and struggled so furiously for many minutes that I felt sure he must be seriously strained and injured. The pack was again cut off, the mule extricated and reloaded, and no farther accident occurred, except that another horse ran away with our keg of brandy, which fell off, and was dragged, at a gallop, for half a mile, over the “ rolling prairie,” and a considerable quantity escaped. * Before quitting the fort, I had added ft) our stoek of provisions a small bag of flour carefully sown up in repeated folds of skin and wax- cloth ; it was prepared by an experienced hunter, so as to be proof against wet and all other damage. I never told what it contained, be- ing determined to keep it as a reserve, in case of extreme necessity. ESCULENT ROOTS. 187 In spite of these delays, I don’t think we travelled less than fifty miles, having been in motion from six a. m. till half-past nine, p. m. This was a disagreeable evening: it had rained most of the day ; ourselves, clothes, &c., were tolerably soak- ed ; we could not pitch our tent ; and with some difficulty got up a fire, threw some tea into a pot of boiling water, and mixing it with our wet biscuit, found it delicious. It rained all night, and all the following morning; however, we succeeded about mid-day in overtaking our Pawnees, the old chief, Sa-m-tsa-rish, embraced me tenderly, and seemed much grieved at our having lost two horses. We then opened our bales, to ascertain the amount of damage done by mulish freaks and wet. We found most of our biscuit reduced to bad pap ; many of our beads blackened with wet powder; and part of the ver- milion bestowing its rosy favours among its neighbours, with an indiscriminate generosity which was by no means admired. Our knives were rusted, and the whole pack- age in poor plight. However, our powder and flour were unhurt, and that was a subject of much satisfaction. The Indians assisted us most good-naturedly in spread- ing and drying all our “goods;” and I do not believe we lost the smallest article, although hundreds of them were standing around. We made a great feast with our wet biscuit and a pot of coffee, and gave as much as was in our power among the Indians, who had little or no food, except such roots as they could pick up. Of these, the principal was an esculent root, something between a potato and a radish, most greedily sought by the Indians when going to the Buffalo country : they are then often reduced to a state approaching to starvation ; and I have seen these roots dug out two, three, and even four miles from the regular trail. I ate them, and they appear somewhat nutritious and not unpalatable, but under any other circumstances would be thought tasteless and diffi- cult of digestion. They are eaten raw, and I have never seen any attempt to c6ok them among the Pawnees ; but they are said to be tolerably wholesome, as well as palatable, when boiled or roasted. The Canadian French call them Pomme blanche ; their Pawnee name I forget. 1S8 DEER-STALKING. but in the Ojibbeway dialect they are called Metus-ko - she-min , or grass-berries ; and their botanical appella- tion is, I believe, Psoralea esculenta. Some of the Mis- souri tribes call them Nu-ga-re. No game had been seen or killed, and every hour’s experience tended to convince me of the exaggerated statements with which many Western travellers have misled the civilized world in regard to the game on these prairies. I had been now five days travelling through them; and with the exception of a few grouse and the fawn I shot, had not seen anything eatable, either bird or quadruped. 12th July. — The weather continued rainy, and the In- dians went but a few miles ; the country became less rich in wood and in vegetation of every kind, the only timber that we found being along the creek courses ; and the prairie was no longer enlivened by the flowers to which the eye had become accustomed. I went out with a hunter in search of deer: we saw one doe (elk) about half a mile distant, and I allowed my red friend to take the lead in endeavouring to get a shot, in which office he appeared to me very much inferior to our high- land deer-stalkers in taking advantage of wind and posi- tion of ground, although he would have proved far su- perior to them in following a foot-track. The doe got sight of us, and made off. We ran her about two miles, without success, and gave up the pursuit. I found it no joke running with an Indian up and down hill in grass three feet high, now and then mingled with tangled brushwood and shrubs. His wind seemed almost as in- exhaustible as his appetite, and running quite as easy to him as sitting. I kept up, however, without giving him to understand that I was annoyed by the heat, and cooled myself now and then by wading and dabbling in the creek. After a walk of fifteen or sixteen miles, during which we. saw no more deer, we returned to the camp. The following morning was beautiful, but was usher- ed in by a misfortune, which would be lightly thought of by those, and those only — “ Who live at home at ease, And little apt to think upon The woes of the prairies ” CROSS THE NIMAHAW. 189 the handle of my fryingpan was broken off by an Indian, to whom I had lent it, and our bread, parched beans, &c. must thenceforward be procured at the risk of burnt fin- gers. I could not evince any anger ; for all the savages were most obliging, brought us wood and water, helped to pack our luggage, and during the heat of our mid-day halt, made a sort of branch-arbour to protect us from the sun.* In the evening, we pursued our route, and crossed the Great Nimahaw river, which was not too deep to ford, although it immersed part of the little mule’s pack. However, we had a solid and ample supper; as a party of hunters, who had been all day employed in the chase, had brought in two or three elk. The meat was good, but not so high flavoured as ordinary venison. The following day (the 14th) was intensely hot, and the journey dreary and wearisome. Our eyes were not gladdened by the sight of any edible animal ; the only visible creatures being larks, black-birds, t and now and then a hawk or buzzard. After dinner, at one o’clock, I started off with a party of hunters in search of elk; the sun was burning hot, and my Indian companions walked very fast on level ground and up the hills, while in every descent they indulged themselves with a run or long trot. The grass was up to our middle — I was clothed and they were naked — and I had to carry my solid double-barrelled rifle, weighing at least twice as much as their light fowling-pieces.J It may easily be imagined * I afterwards found that all these obliging acts of kindness were per- formed with the expectation of a proportionate reward ; the Pawnee French interpreter confessing that the Indians did nothing “sansdes- sein.” This latter word was used bv him, and I have heard it used by other uninstructed Canadian Frerch, to signify almost every category in the moral or physical world : it often signified “ malice,” “ design,” “reward,” “ good sense,” “ money,” &c. t These prairie black-birds are the tamest of the bird creation that I have seen in any country, exceeding in familiar impudence the licensed intruder on the breakfast-table of the English country-clergyman in winter, namely, the robin redbreast. They repeatedly perched upon the back of the buffalo, and of our horses, saddled or unsaddled. I have, more than once, seen them venture upon the shoulder of a man ; and the young Indian boys practise their early archery by shooting them at the distance of two or three yards. I Since their last treaty with the United States, the Pawnees receive 190 SEARCH FOR ELK. lhat this amusement (with the thermometer probably about 120° in the sun) was rather warm : we went at least ten miles before we found the nearest timber, which was on the banks of the Blue river; here we saw an elk grazing about half a mile off. I must not forget to make honourable mention of myself, as having been the first to discover and point him out to the Indians; and again I had to remark their want of skill in hunting. We had crept to within three hundred yards of his feed- ing-place, when a clumsy fellow showed his head over a neighbouring hillock, and our intended victim made off, and was no more seen. We then moved along the northern bank of the river for many miles, but saw no more game ; at length we were obliged to cross. The water was breast high, but not very rapid. I thought that, being once wet, I might as well make the most of the opportunity ; so I deposit- ed my gun and ammunition in safety, and remained splashing and swimming about for a quarter of an hour, to the surprise and amusement of the Indians. After a fruitless walk of twenty miles or more, we rejoined the camp. The 15th was again a very hot day ; the soil became more barren as we advanced, and the grass much short- er. The country resembled very much some of the downs in the southern part of England. We travelled between twenty-five and thirty miles without finding water ; and, owing to the extreme heat and our forced marches, one of my horses “ stopped short,” or “ gave out,” which latter is the current word in the West. The good-natured old chief (Sa-nf-tsa-rish) himself remained behind, and with difficulty led on the wearied animal, annually a certain number of guns, as part of the payment for the land ceded by them on the Kanzas river. These guns are light pieces manu- factured at Birmingham, and cost about five or six dollars each. Some are tolerably good ; but the Pawnees having but lately become acquaint- ed with the use of fire-arms, soon destroy them, by examining, firing off powder, oveiloading, and other follies. Some they gamble away; and all that they do not either lose or spoil, they exchanged with the Haitans and other predatory tribes in the West and South for horses ; so that when the pay-day returns, very few efficient guns are to be found in the Pawnee village. A CHILL. 191 and thereby did not reach our night-camp till an hour after we had finished our supper: this toilsome and harassing task he undertook unasked, and, at the time, unknown to me. In what civilized country would the courtesy and kindness of hospitality be carried to a high- er extent ? I was obliged to sell my jaded steed for the loan of a horse to carry his pack, till we should reach the great body of Pawnees, where I was assured I should find no difficulty in obtaining a horse, or such other assistance as I might require. Another day passed without any remarkable occur- rence, when the weather changed, and we were favoured with a cold stormy rain, which lasted all night, and wet- ted us. to our hearts’ content. The following day was again intensely hot, in spile of which I felt a continual chill, which no exercise or perspiration could remove for twenty-four hours. I began to think that I was to pay the penalty of my long ramble in the sun, followed by splashing in the Blue river, and then sleeping in the same clothes, by a regular attack of the “chills and fever,” alas ! so well known in the West. I had no medical advice ; but a day’s patience, some hot tea, and a good constitution, brought me through, and I had no return of the attack. We continued our course, which was now west-south- west, till we struck a branch of the Kanzas river ; name- ly, its northern or, commonly called, Republican Fork. This is one of the principal western tributaries of the Missouri ; its course is generally east-south-east, and its mouth is seven or eight miles above Independence, and twenty-five below Fort Leavenworth. As the moving Pawnee “ village” was obliged also to cross this river, our party followed its banks, wmst-north-west, in order to find the trail, with the object of overtaking them as soon as possible ; this was the more desirable, as they had maize with them, and we had nothing but what we could kill by the way. Our journey was monotonous; the country dreary and barren, both of animal and vege- table life ; our horses crawled wearily along, and we looked in vain for any fresh signs of late travel or en- campment. 192 WEARY JOURNEY. For two or three days we continued this toilsome march ; almost all the horses’ backs were sore, the weather oppressively hot, and provisions very scarce. During this scarcity of provisions, it was not to be ex- pected that my red friends should be very scrupulous as to the nature of their food, nor as to the means employed in procuring it; accordingly, they contrived to entice my poor dog Peevish from my feet while I was asleep, and I am convinced, although 1 could obtain no proof of the fact, that they killed and ale her. When I awoke and missed her, I was sure that she had been disposed of in this manner, and was exceedingly vexed and angry ; but I was obliged to dissemble, and pretend a belief that she had strayed : any demonstration of vexation would have lowered me in the estimation of the Indians; and anger, unsupported by punishment (which was in this case im- possible) would have made me “ridiculous.” My two attendants wished most heartily to return to the fort, but I determined to “ go a-head and more- over, to keep the bag of flour for subsequent emergen- cies. We saw no game whatever, every animal hav- ing been killed or driven off by the Pawnees, Kickapoos, and other nations, who had preceded us. We found the Indian regulations for travelling very fatiguing ; namely, starting at four a. m., with nothing to eat, and travelling till one, when we halted for breakfast and din- ner at one time. Most of us were obliged towalk nearly all day, owing to the state of the horses’ backs ; and on the 20th we travelled from half-past three in the morning till half- past eight in the evening. I heard sundry com- plaints and wishes for return on the part of our attend- ants, but was conveniently deaf and obstinate. In truth, our situation was not very pleasant ; my provisions were not more than sufficient for one meal for the whole par- ty, and there was nothing eatable to be found except the miserable roots beforementioned. However, from the recen tmarks which we found in several encampments, we knew that the Pawnee nation could not be very far a-head. and the hope of soon overtaking them gave a zest to our exertions, which made us press the horses almost beyond the limits of humanity. JOIN THE REAR-GUARD. 193 A runner had been sent forward to request the chiefs to make a short halt in order to give our party time to come up. Tins Indian had walked at I he head of the party as guide during the whole day’s journey, which occupied (as abovementioned) nearly twenty hours ; when we halted, Sa-ni tsa-rish went up to him and spoke a few words, upon which, without rest or food, he tight- ened the belt round his middle and set off at a run, which he must have maintained for upwards of twenty miles ; he had to traverse the same ground in coming back, and thus (reckoning our progress on a forced march at only three miles an hour) he must have gone over one hun- dred miles of ground without food or rest in twenty-four hours. At length he returned, bringing with him the wel- come intelligence that we were not more than twenty miles behind, and the no less welcome accompaniment of a bag of maize, made into a kind of cold porridge : this was, indeed, a treat, and appeared tome as excellent a dish as ever I tasted ; under ordinary circumstances, it would not have been thought very tempting. Again we pushed forward, and in about six hours came up with the rear-guard, among whom were the great chief of the Grand Pawnees, the great chief of the Tapages Paw- nees, and the great chief of the Republicans, called by the French Copot-bleu* A circle was made, consisting of all the chiefs, when we were formally introduced by the interpreter, shook handi > f with them all, and were presented with the pipe of hospitality. I remarked the wonderful self-posses- sion of these men, who are in fact the most curious and inquisitive in the world ; and yet, on the return of their party from the settlements, laden with all the articles * In a camp-march, the principal chief generally remains on the en- campment till all the rest have moved off; partly to see that nothing is left or lost, partly to take care that none of his party stay or loiter, and chiefly to see that the rear-guard do their duty, as it is from that quarter that their enemies generally attack them. At this time the Pawnees were upon hostile terms with the Shiennes and Ricaras, and bands of both these tribes were hunting at no great distance. t It is needless to mention that they learn this from whites, and prac. $ise it only towards whites. Vol. I. — R 194 FRIENDLY RECEPTION. which they prize most highly, not the slightest express sion of surprise, pleasure, or interest is apparent ; brother met brother, and father met son, with the well known short and simple universal Indian greeting, which no language can give in writing,* and no observer could have known that their absence had been of two days’ duration. In return for their friendly reception, and in consum- mation of the alliance, I gave them a weak glass of brandy and water all round ; they seemed quite pleased, though I could not help thinking what a wry face Jack, on board H. M. S. , would have made, if the said ten-water grog had been served out to him in a cup hold- ing less than a quarter of a pint. It is so well known, that as soon as any Indian tribe becomes accustomed to whiskey, their speedy and lotal degradation in every physical and moral quality is a sure consequence, that the United States have very properly forbidden all their j troops and traders to sell them spirttous liquors under a heavy penalty ; in spite of this law, however, a great quantity of whiskey finds its way to those Indians who have much commerce with the whites ; the temptation is too strong for the traders, many of whom are Canadian French, and men without either principle or education ; they frequently get opporlun ties of selling a pint of spirits for fifiy or a hundred times its value in beaver and other skins ; the craving of the savages increases in I propoition to their acquaintance with this fatal liquor, and they will part with anything they have for a dram. I found that very few of the Pawnees had ever tasted ^ whiskey, and still few>er expressed any strong desire or liking for it; 1, therefore, felt it mv duty, both towards I myself and the authorities of the United States, under whose protection I was making my tour, not to be in the smallest degree instrumental in giving the Pawnees a relish for a liquor which becomes in their hands no- thing less than a poison. Accordingly, whenever I gave * The nearest legible approach to this exclamation is the common 1 English word “ How,” only uttered with a strong aspirate, and in a iono resembling as mu<;h as possible a grunt. INDIAN VILLAGE. 195 a brandy and water draught to any of the chiefs, which I did very rarely, I took care to make it so extremely weak that the spirit could scarcely be tasted, and they were sufficiently pleased with the honour of drinking the white man’s liquor. It was not a little amusing to see how readily the Paw- nee-French interpreter entered into my views on this subject. I once or twice lent him my small pocket flask, and allowed him to serve out the weak toddy to the chiefs; he talked most gravely of the pernicious ef- fects of spirits among “ les suava^es” carefully mixed for them at least nine proportions of water for one of brandy, and, then, with equal gravity, helped himself to a dram, in which he exactly reversed the aforesaid propor- tions. As soon as this introductory feast was concluded, we accompanied the chiefs to the village, which was about twelve miles a-head of us; at lengih we came in sight of it, and a more interesting or picturesque scene I never beheld. Upon an extensive prairie gently sloping down to a creek, the winding course of which was marked by a broken line of wood here and there interspersed with a fine clump of trees, were about five thousand savages, inclusive of women and children ; some were silting under their buffalo-skin lodges lazily smoking their pipes ; while the women were stooping over their fires busily employed in preparing meat and maize for these indolent lords of the creation. Far as the eye could reach, were scattered herds of horses, watched (or as we would say in Scotland, “ tented ”) by urchins, whose whole dress and equipment was the slight bow and arrow, with which they exercised their infant archery upon the heads of the taller flowers, or upon any luckless black- bird perched near them. Here and there might be seen some gay young warrior ambling along the heights, his painted form partially exposed to view as his bright scarlet blanket waved in the breeze ; while his small fretful horse was scarcely to be recognized under the variety of trappings with which the vanity of his rider had tricked him out ; near him might be seen another naked savage, without a saddle, and his only bridle a 396 THE CHIEF AND HIS FAMILY. \ thong round the horse’s head, gallopingat full speed, and waving in his extended right hand a “ laiyette,” with which he was chasing some refractory mule or runaway steed, that had escaped from his gang : while the banks of the stream were alive with the garrulous voices of women, some washing themselves, their clothes, or their infants, others carrying water to the camp, and others bearing on their backs a load of wood, the portage of which no London coal-heaver would have envied them. Our approach excited some curiosity and interest. The families of those who had been to the fort placed themselves in or near our path ; and as the husband, father, or brother, came near, the little kindred group would withdraw to a retired spot and indulge thoso feel- ings of curiosity and affection, which nature has implant- ed as strongly in the bosom of the savage as of the civilized man. I regarded with much pleasure the meeting of my old chief,* Sa-nf-tsa-rish, with his wives and children, which took place under a knot of fine trees, a little to the right of our path. I could read in the glistening eyes of the women, and in the glad laces of the children, that the old man was a kind husband and father; and, if the features of the parties had not been so totally devoid of anything like beauty, the family-pic- ture would have been as picturesque as it was interest- ing. The old chief himself is one of the finest-looking men of his tribe, but his wives were extremely plain, and very slovenly and dirty in their appearance ; while the poor little children, besides their equally distant claims to cleanliness, were suffering under the small-pox and hooping-cough ; nevertheless, as he stood among them, and gave to one a few beads, to another a ribbon, and exhibited to them various trifles brought from the white man’s dwelling, I would not envy the heart of any man who could have looked upon the little group with any other feelings than those of pleasure and interest. I * As the lodge, or tent, of the chiefs was not large enough to admit us all into one, it was agreed on the road that, during our stay at the village, I and my servant should remain with Sa-nl-tsa-rish ; while V and the other attendant should be the gu.ests of Pe-te-re sha* one of the chiefs of the Grand Pawnees, and the eldest son of the great chief. BUFFALO MEAT. 197 soon began to play with the children, and, though my first advances were received with the utmost shyness and alarm,* they summoned courage at length to examine my buttons, my pistols, aud other articles new to them, and ere long our acquaintance -was established upon a footing approaching to confidence. As soon as our arrival was known in the village, we were invited to six or seven feasts in succession ; and here we tasted buffalo meat for the first time. No cows had yet been seen, and the bull-beef was as hard, tough, and stringy (besides being only quarter dressed) as ever it fell to the lot of human jaw to masticate. In vain might a set of the finest civilized teeth that were ever fostered by the care of Messrs. Dumergue and Cart- wright, endeavour to separate the indissoluble fibres ; the vain attempt is soon given up in despair, and the un- broken mass is submitted to the gastric juice, which fortunately asserts and proves the inexhaustible resources of nature, by disposing, without inconvenience, of that which proved too strong an opponent for ivory ! Of course this must not be taken as a fair representation of buffalo meat in general ; because the ribs, and the back, especially the hump, are, if properly dressed, as sweet, tender, and delicious beef as the most delicate epicure could desire ; and both the fat and marrow are certainly finer than those of any domestic cattle ; but that it is a * Nature appears to have divided the white from the red man by a species of antipathy scarcely reconcilable with the benignity and sym- pathies which are usually found in her provisions. An Indian infant cannot endure the approach or sight of a white man, neither can the in- fant of a white look without terror upon an Indian. In walking quietly through the Pawnee camp, I have often found myself the innocent cause of the cries and screams of at least twenty of these little alarm- ists, though I may not have passed nearer than thirty yards from some of them. Nor is this most strongly-marked aversion confined to the human race : Indian horses cannot bear the smell of a white man. I have repeatedly seen them, when standing quietly by their owner, prick up their ears and snort at my approach, and no coaxing would induce them to let me come near or touch their bridle. Nor was I more ap- proved of by the dogs, for whenever I or my companion walked about the village, we had a retinue of these curs barking and snarling at our heels; and if they had not fortunately been as cowardly as they were noisy, we might have experienced serious inconvenience from their persecution. R* 198 ORDER OP MARCH. fair and unexaggerated picture of buffalo bull meat, as dressed (or rather undressed) by the Pawnees, I do most positively asseit.* On arriving before Sa-ni-tsa-rish’s lodge, which was destined to be my abode for many weeks, I naturally cast my eyes around to observe its construction and ar- rangements. The result may be given in a few words, but the description will be more satisfactory and more easily comprehended if it embraces the pitching of the Pawnee tent, or “dodge,” as it is usually termed in the West. On reaching the camping-place, which is selected by the grand chief (or, in his absence, by the next in rank), the senior squaw chooses the spot most agreeable to her fancy, and orders the younger women and children, who lead the pack-horses and mules (generally from five to ten in number, according to the size or wealth of the family), to hah ; but in making this choice of ground, she is restricted within certain limits, and tho.se of no great extent, as the Pawnees observe great regularity both in iheir line of march and encampment. 1 could not ascertain whether these regulations were invariable, or made at the pleasure of the chief; but I believe the latter; and that on leaving their, winter, or staiionary, villages, he issues the general orders on this subject, which are observed during the season or the expedition ; at any rate, they never varied during my stay among them. They move in three parallel bodies; the left wing consisting of part of the Grand Pawnees and the Tapages ; the centre of the remaining Grand Pawnees ; and the right of the Republicans, it is needless to say that these names of the different Pawnee tribes are given by the French traders according to their absurd fancies ; but the Indian appellations by which the Tapages ( Republiques ), * I beg here to remind the reader once for all, that the animal called throughout this expedition the Buffalo, is, properly speaking, the Bison (Bos Taurus) ; but I retain the incorrect appellative, because it is gene- rally and familiarly so employed in Norlh America. In strict language, the Buffalo is the Bos Babylus, the horns of which animal are turned backward behind its head : it is too well known in Italy and other countries to require farther description. ORDER OF MARCH. 199 &c., are known, could convey no idea of distinction, and consequently I shall adhere to those by which they are known through the Missouri country. For the informa- tion of curious philologists I will, however, add, that in the Pawnee language, the Grand Pawnees are called Tsa-we; the Republican band, Tskit-ka-kish ; the Ta- page band, Pe-towe-ra ; and the Loups, or Pawnee- Mahas (who parted from us when we crossed the Re- publican Fork), are called Ske-re.* All these bodies move in “ Indian file,” though of course in the mingled mass of men, women, children, and pack-horses, it was not very regularly observed ; nevertheless, on arriving at the halting-place, the party to which I belonged invariably camped at the eastern ex- tremity of the village, the great chief in the centre, and the Republiques on the western side ; and this arrange* merit was kept so well, that, after I had been a few days with them, after I had been a few days with them, I could generally find our lodge in a new encampment with very little trouble, although the village consisted of about six hundred of them, all nearly similar in appear- ance. Now, to return to our squaws, whom we left in the act of preparing to pitch the tent. They first unpack and un- saddle the horses, which are given to a boy to drive off to their grass and water: they then arrange all their bales, saddles, &c., in a semicircular form, and pile them from two to three feet high. Around the exterior of these they drive into the ground eight or ten curved willow rods, from two to three feet distant from each other, but all firmly bound by leather thongs to four large upright poles, that form the front of the lodge, and along which iun transverse willow rods, to which the extremities of the curved ones are fastened. When the frame, or ske- leton, is thus finished, they stretch the cover (made of buffalo hides, sewed together) tight over the whole, leaving an aperture for entrance and egress in the cen- * Once for all I beg the reader to remember that, in endeavouring to convey Indian words in writing, the vowels, accents, &c., which I employ are those of the French language, as they can be made more nearly to resemble the Indian pronunciation than the English. 200 ARMORIAL BEARINGS. tre of the front; and in fine weather, the whole front open. This an accurate description of a Pawnee summer- lodge ; but, of course, the dimensions vary according to the number and wealth of the families residing therein: in some tents I have observed the front consisting of six or eight upright poles, to which were fixed more skins for additional shelter or shade. On the grass, in the in- terior, are spread mats, made by the squaws from reeds, and skins of buffalo or bear. From the foregoing it will he easily understood that the bales of cloth, maize, skins, and whatever olher property they .possess, form the back of the tent. Each occupant, from the chief to the lowest in rank, has his assigned place ; sleeps upon his own blanket, or buffalo robe ; has his bow and quiver suspended over his head ; his saddle, bridle, and laryettes, &c., behind his back : and thus little confusion prevails, although each individual has only just room to sit or lie at full length. Before the tent a kind of shield is raised, upon three poles pyramidically placed, on which is the device of the chief, by which his tent is to be recognized. Let not the Heralds’ College imagine that the use of “armo- rial bearings ” is confined to the descendants of Norman barons, or of European or Moorish chivalry ! The Gael of the highlands of Scotland is as proud of his clan-sprig of heather, holly, or juniper; and the Pawnee of his- beaver-skin, bunch of feathers, or quiver, shield-device, as the Douglas of his bleeding heart, or the Percy and Tal- bot of their threatening monarch of the woods. How often are we brought thus to bow before the throne of Nature ! and the proudest and most polished of her chil- dren are made to acknowledge and feel their affinity to the most savage and unenlightened, by the wants, the desires, the failings, and vanities, which are common to them all. In the interior of the tent, and generally about the centre of its concave, is suspended the “ medicine, which is most carefully and religiously preserved. If this word “ medicine ” (as it is used by the French and In- dian traders, with all the western and southern Indians,) ist MEDICINE. 201 Only half as vague, unsatisfactory, and mysterious to any luckless wight, whose evil genius has imposed upon him the task of reading these pages, as it is to me , (and I might add to the Indians themselves,) let him not hope to find any farther elucidation of the riddle, nor attempt to fathom this verbal and ideal chaos. Under the head of “ medicine,” the Indians comprise not only its own healing department, but everything connected with reli- gion or superstition ; all omens, all relics, and everything extraordinary or supernatural. Thus, in one Indian lan- guage, the Deity is called the “ Big-Medicine-Man the horse (which animal was once an object of their terror and astonishment, vide “ Conquest of Florida,” &c.), the “medicine-quadruped and in another, a gun is called a “ medicine-weapon.” Among the Pawnees, the priests and doctors, and all the medicine department, have their respective offices and tents. Part of the buffalo meat, is always set apart for the medicine (theoretically, to be consecrated to the Great Spirit ; practically , to be eaten up by these charlatans, like Baal’s priests of old.) Then there are medicine-flags, medicine-pipes, medicine-robes, medicine-ceremonies; and, lastly, the medicine-bag, wherein are contained arrow-heads, with which their fa- thers have killed a foe, scalps, and any other similarly precious ancestral relics.* In this tent I now established myself, spread my bear- skin, hung up my rifle ; and, with my saddlebags for a pillow, prepared for the “ coming ori of grateful eve- ning mild.” It is not easy, in a situation so curious and strange, to court “ tired nature’s sweet restorer.” Moreover, I found that among the Pawnees, Silence was not among the Goddesses of the night, — imprimis, the two children in the tent were extremely lli with the hooping-cough ; besides which, they were very ill-tem- pered, and both completely spoiled; so that sometimes they were uttering the groans and cries of real suffering, at others, would scream with the utmost power of their lungs, till their mother rose, and gave them anything * For farther information regarding the “ medicine,” the reader is referred to the Appendix. 202 DOGS. they might fancy. In the second place, the loquacity of the ladies knew no bounds; and ihey seemed determined to indemnify themselves for the temporary silence which the labours of the day imposed upon them. My ear was just becoming accustomed to these shrill and varied vi- brations of the human tongue, and 1 was just about to fall asleep, when I was aroused by a distant howl, as I thought, of a wolf. It came on nearer and nearer, and louder and louder, till at length the wild, tumultuous, and many-min- gled cry swelled into such a volume of sound as it is impos- sible to describe, and if f could describe it, 1 could scarcely expect it to obtain credence. But first, let any doubter recall to mind some night when he may have been sleep- less and feverish, — perhaps a chained watch-dog began to “ bay the moon,” and perhaps some canine neighbours caught up and prolonged the strain, — and he may re- member the musical effect produced by this serenade ! Now let me inform him, that in our village there were more than six hundred tents, and that each tent owned, upon an average, seven dogs, so that there were upwards of four thousand dogs in the encampment, all of them mongrels and curs, very slightly differing from the wolf in appearance, and scarcely at all in voice. In this nightly howl they all join (at least, of all those round our tent, I could not see one exception : ) and, having now faithfully described the cause , it is needless to suggest, even to the most sluggish imagination, the grand effect of a dog-chorus, at midnight, in the Pawnee village 1 LAVATORY IN THE PRAIRIE. 203 CHAPTER XV. Lavatory in the Prairie. — Picturesque Scene. — A “ Brave.”-— Quarrel with him. — Desolate Prairie. — Prairie Doos — Owls and Rattlesnakes. — First View of Buffalo. — Chase of Buffalo. — Indian Butchery. — Horses stolen bv the Ricaras.- — Indian Method of Horse-stealing. — Discussion as to the expediency of making Reprisals. — Present of a Buffalo Robe. — Indian Character. — A Feast. — Indian Curiosity. Not being yet thoroughly drilled to a prairie life, I had not learned lo consider cleanliness as a useless and superogatory luxury; and, accordingly, after sleeping in my clothes, in the midst of a scene too dirty to depict, where we were as closely packed as the horses in a stage-coach stable, I was weak enough to imagine that it was desirable to wash my hands and face, and change my linen. Such notions being quite exploded among experienced travellers, I am almost ashamed to own them ; but candour demands the sacrifice, and I trust my brother prairie-men will remember that prejudice once acknowledged, is more than half overcome. According- ly, I armed myself with a towel, some soap, a tooth- brush, and a clean shirt, and sallied forth in search of the creek, the banks of which were to be my dressing- room on the occasion. I found it to be a muddy streamlet, from four to eight inches deep, having neither brushwood nor timber to mark its eourse. It was completely alive with animal industry, which seemed all exercised in endeavouring to make it more and more turbid and muddy. Women washing their children and their blankets ; boys and girls splashing ; dogs swimming, and horses tramping in every direction. As this did not seem a favourable spot for the bath and toilet of one who can boast, of having, in his day, made a respectable appearance in Bond-street, I walked above a mile up the little stream, in hopes of y finding a place less pre-occupied by my biped and quad- 204 PICTURESQUE SCENE. ruped competitors in ablution. Finding this attempt fruitless, and seeing that the “ ladies ” were not at all afraid of me, I determined not to evince let-s courage ; and putting my watch, my knife, my mauvaise horde, and other trifles in my pocket, proceeded quietly to undress; and having bathed for a few minutes, proceeded with my toilet. I ought to mention that I effected this bath by lying down and rolling where the water was about nine inches deep. 1 was about half dressed before I experi- enced any positive interruption, when two or three Indians came up, and began to examine every article of my toilet with the grealest curiosity. They could not make out the use of the tooth-brush ; and when I explained to them that it was to “ sharpen the teeth” they expressed their wonder by the well-known “ Ugh !” They were equally at a loss to make out the use of the soap* and other things, which they took out of my pocket. At length I got so tired of their handling my clothes, that I forbade them to do so any more, and they desisted. On mv return to the camp 1 found all the lodges struck, the horses packed, and everything ready for marching. Mv worthy host had desired his women to pack the greater part of my baggage ; I had obtained the loan of a horse, and thus 1 was enabled to give a day’s rest to my jaded steeds. I watched this great moving body of savages as they left the rising ground on which we had been encamped, and deployed on the plain into the three irregular straggling columns which formed their line of march. The scene was picturesque in the extreme, and was every minute diversified by amusing or interesting incidents. In the spaces between the columns rode the chiefs and the younger warriors, decked out in all their * This word reminds me of the mischievous trick played by our young American lad, who was one day washing with some strong coarse soap, when an Indian came up, complaining of very sore eyes, and asked hin if the snap was good for them. He said it was very good, and showed him by signs that he should rub it well in below the lids, which the f ndian accordingly did; of course the pain and smarting were ex- treme, and he jumped about apparently not at all pleased with the re- medy. I'owever, it made his eyes water very much for ten minutes, afterward relieved the inflammation ; and he returned to his friends praise the great skill of the Salicks-t&-k& (white man.) 205 A “BRAVE.” gayest habiliments, with white, blue, or scarlet blankets, and making their fidgety little horses prance and curvet to show the rider’s horsemanship. Near them was a dignified-looking “ Brave,” ambling slowly along; his only ornament the much-envied collar made from the claws of the formidable grisly bear. Here and there were scattered groups of boys, shooting at birds, or any trifling object within their reach ; and sometimes a refractory mule or untamed coll would gallop out from the line, plunge and kick till he had eased himself of his burthen, nor return to a sense of his duty till two or three mounted Indians had given him proof wilh their lar- yettes, of the superior power and address of man. I had a little quarrel wilh the “ Brave ” abovemen^ tioned, which is worth recording, as illustrative of In- dian character. I mentioned, a few pages back, that on the journey I had sold a tired horse for the loan of a fresh one till we reached the Pawnee village. This “Brave” was the man wilh whom I had made the bargain, and I told the interpreter io make him distinctly understand 1 hat he was to have mv broken-down nag, and might do as he pleased, either in leaving him to rest and recover, or endeavouring to make him travel ; but that I had no- thing more to do with it than to put a certain portion of my baggage on his fresh horse till we reached the village.. This bargain having been made, he chose to force on the tired horse, and a day or two afterward, the interpre- ter came and told me that it had stopped altogether, and that the “Brave” would not let me have his any more, as he wanted it himself. This piece of impudent roguery was too glaring to be allowed, and I determined to resist it, having heard and learned that if Indians per- ceive any weakness or simplicity in a white man, they will take every opportunity of cheating and insulting him. Accordingly, I told the interpreter that “ he had been himself the medium through which the bargain had been struck, and that if the jaded horse stopped, or even died on the road, I was entitled to, and would keep the fresh one till we reached the village.” He reconsulted the “ Brave,” who was sitting only a few yards off, and re- Vol. L— S 206 DESOLATE PRAIRIE, turned to tell me that the Indian did not understand the terms of the bargain ; “ he wanted the horse, and was determined to have him.” This was not a pleasant predicament to be in among these wild fellows ; but I knew they would not dare to kill me openly, under the circumstances of my having been placed under the protection of their chiefs, and I determined accordingly to carry my point. The horse was among the rest, not more than twenty yards from where we sat. I got up quietly, and said to the interpre- ter, “ You know, and he knows, that he is in the wrong. I shall now go and bridle that horse ; if he chooses to come and try to take him from me, let him do so at his own risk.” I accordingly took a laryette, put it over the horse’s neck, and desired my servant to saddle and pack him ; during which operation I experienced neither hin- drance nor interruption, and we proceeded peaceably on our journey. The “ Brave” never attempted to recover his horse ; and, in justice to him, I ought to add, that he never appeared to bear me any grudge on account of this little breeze ; on the contrary, I believe we were after- ward better friends than if I had allowed him to cheat me ; and I am sure I saved myself the trouble of rebut- ting many similar attempls at imposition. He is consi- dered one of the most distinguished Braves of the nation, having killed two or three men and two grisly bears. I joined the chiefs in the central interval, and amused myself by observing the scene around, and by endeavour- ing to increase my scanty stock of Pawmee language. r J he prairie through which we now travelled was barren and desolate ; however, we w'ere cheered by finding fresh tracks of buffalo, and the ponds or mud-holes in which they had wallowed, partly to refresh themselves from the heat, and partly to escape from the vexatious attacks of the gadfly. In this waste there was not either bird or beast to be seen, except, prairie dogs. I do not know how these little animals obtained t his absurd appellation, as they do not bear the smallest resemblance to the canine species, either in formation or habits. In size they vary ex- PRAIRIE DOGS. 207 tremely, but in general they are not larger than a squir- rel, and not unlike one in appearance, except that they want his bushv tail ; the head is also somewhat rounder. They burrow under the light soil, and throw it up round the entrance to their dwelling like the English rabbit: on this little mound they generally sit, chirping and chat- tering to one another like two neighbour-gossips in a vil- lage. Their number is incredible, and their cities (for 1 hey deserve no less a name) full of activity and bustle. I do not know what their occupations are; but I have seen them constantly running from one hole to another, although they do not ever pay any distant visits. They seem, on the approach of danger, always to retire to their own home : but their great delight apparently consists in braving it with the usual insolence of cowardice, when secure from punishment; for, as you approach, they wag their little tails, elevate their heads, and chat- ter at vou like a monkey, louder and louder the nearer you come ; but no sooner is the hand raised to any mis- sile, whether gun, arrow, stick, or stone, than they pop into the hole with a rapidity only equalled by that sud- den disappearance of Punch, with which I have been, when a child, so much delighted in the streets and squares of London. I attempted to shoot some, having been told that they were good to eat, but could only get two, although I de- stroyed probably five times that number ; for they always contrived to creep or fall into their subterranean fortress, and make it, like true heroes, their grave. The two which 1 did recover were too small to cook, and I made a resolution never to molest the little wretches again with my gun. The whole plain was also covered with owls ; each hole seemed to be the residence of an owl and a prairie dog ; and this apparently discrepant couple lived toge- ther united in the bonds ( not of matrimony) but of friend- ship. I have been often told that rattlesnakes are also admitted into the same dwelling, but to the truth or un- truth of this I cannot speak from personal observation.* * The little animal here described is called by Ord and other western 208 BUFFALO CHASE. On the22d my long-cherished curiosity was destined to be gratified ;■ loud and deafening cries of “ Tar ah a ! tara- ha !” (buffalo) ran from one end of the line to the other, and all became bustle and confusion. Some young men went in their gayest attire, others vaulted naked on their unsaddled horses ; in all, about a thousand sallied forth in search of the enemy. Many false reports had been spread as to their distance and locality, so that we had to gallop over twelve or fifteen miles of steep and undu- lating ground before we came up with their rear-guard, consisting of thirty or forty bulls, bounding after their uncouth fashion along the side of a hill. The horses were now put to their speed, and I soon found that the pony which had been lent me, was neither strong nor swift enough to bear me in such a chase ; and having seen a few killed about two hundred yards ahead of me, I gave up the pursuit in despair, and determined to see how they disposed of the slain, as I had no chance of overtaking the living. I jumped off my panting pony, and went to the nearest group, where the ceremony of dissection was about to take place. Two or three Indians were round the fallen monster, whose life was scarcely extinct, whetting their knives on their moccasins ; and just as I arrived, they began to take off the skin. It is needless to detail the succeeding operations at large ; but I am confident that, from the time the first incision was made till the whole meat was cut up, packed, and strung upon a horse, fifteen minutes had not elapsed ; and ex- cept the head, there was not enough left upon the ground to feed a dog. They were not provided with saw, axe, or cleaver, nor with any other weapon but a common pointed dinner-knife, and yet they had carried off the brains,! the heart, the marrow, and liver ; the greater naturalists, the Louisiana Marmot, or Arctomys ; the owl mentioned is the Coquimbo owl, the same as the species found in South America, with similar habits of burrowing ( Striz cunicutaria), and feeds upon grasshoppers and insects. The rattlesnake, which is said sometimes to join company with this singular pair, is the Cr&talus tergeminus. — See “ Long’s Expedition,” vol. i. p. 499 ; vol. ii. p. 37. t In case any knight of the cleaver should doubt my assertion, in re- gard to extracting the brains of a bull without any heavy metal or wood- en instrument, I think it right to record how they take them, and why RICARAS. 209 portion of the two latter they ate raw upon the spot. I was then surprised and horrified — I soon grew wiser. When the band of hunters came in, at night-fall, it ap- peared that they had overtaken a large herd, as they brought in about eighty buffalo. The same evening, a runner from the out-picquets* came round the tents to give t he piihy caution, “ Men have been seen this is a warning that a fresh trail has been found, or a glimpse caught of some one, who disappeared so quickly that they could not determine his tribe. A report had pre- vailed for one or two days that the Ricaras were in the neighbourhood. Accordingly, we loaded our guns, tied all the horses, and took the usual precautions. The Ri- caras (or, according to the usual French mutilation of names, the Rees les Ris) are a wild and warlike tribe, famed for their skill in horse-stealing. They roam chiefly between the prairies over which we were travel- ling, and the Rocky Mountains. They are a branch of the once great Pawnee nation, although now hostile to them ; but their languages are the same ; noram I aware of any other tribe who speak a similar tongue. How- ever, if they contemplated thieving undiscovered, one great difficulty was removed out of their way, namely, silence. I never heard such a continued confusion of sounds. The council of Pandaemonium, or the tower of Babel, could scarcely equal it. Women chattering, children crying, men singing, or rather yelling, their war- songs, dogs howling, horses neighing, and asses braying ! From these instruments let the imagination compose the orchestra to which I was that night indebted for music. Our crafty neighbours did not neglect the opportunity they take them. First, they break and cut off the fore-leg at the knee joints, and using the shank as a handle and the hoof as a hammer, by repeated blows they break through the frontal bone. The purpose of taking] the brains is to render the skin soft and pliant, when it is in the course of being prepared as a robe. * I observed that on the march, and during their night encampment, the Pawnees always had out-posts on every side of the village. Besides this precaution, a great many of the young men lie in their blankets, at a little distance from it, chanting their war and hunting' songs ; and they prefer sleeping in that manner to the confinement of their tents. s* 210 HORSE STEALING; liius offered. On rising in the morning, we heard thafc a small Ricara party had carried off twenty-six of our horses during the night, including two of mine, one of which broke away from them and returned ; but the other, a venerable gray, remained in the hands of the captors.* The manner in which they steal horses is as follows : ^Two or three men approach the encampment, cau- tiously, soon after night-fall, and take advantage of any creek, dell, or brushwood, that may serve to conceal them from the observation of the out-piquets ; if they succeed in reaching the extremity of the village undis- covered, they stand-up and walk deliberately through it, wrapped in their buffalo- robe. Of course they can no longer be distinguished from the Pawnees by ihe faint light of the half extinguished fires; and as they pass the groups of horses collected before their respec- tive owners’ lodges, they cut, with a sharp knife, the laryettes which fasten those that they purpose to carry off. As soon as they have loosened the required number, each man jumps upon one* and they drive off the rest at full speed, shaking their blankets, and urging the alarmed animals to their utmost exertions. Of course they obtain a considerable start of any pursuit ; and if the night is dark, run but little risk of being overtaken. The manner of securing horses on the prairie against these depredators is two-fold : either to tie them by a laryette, passed round the neck, to a peg or stake driven firmly into the ground; or to “ hobble ” them, which is effected by tying the foie- legs close together by leather *Soon after oar departure from the fort, our American lad, who was a merry wag, named the different pack-horses and mules after the public men of the day, according to his- opinion of their respective merits and qualities. It was impossible to avoid a smile when I overheard some of his objurgations, as he was driving them up in the rear:: — “Come up, General !” “ Wo, ho. Van Buren— .your pack is all on one side.” “ Go it, Henry Clay — old Kentuck forever !” &c. 1 believe it was. “ General Jackson” that remained a Ricara prisoner. How they ever succeeded in making him move I cannot imagine, as all our instruments of per- suasion, from a spur to a cowhide^ could only extract a very small jog- trot. and that for a short time. ' Nevertheless, he must have been forced off at. some speed, as a few Pawnees pursued for many miles, in the iporning, without success. REPRISALS. 211 thongs passed round them, below the knee-joint. This latter is the safer plan, ‘because a thief can sometimes cut the laryette, as he walks, without risk of observation ; but if he stoops down to untie^ or cut a strong leather thong between the shins of a horse, he not only runs more risk of alarming the animal, but incurs suspicion from any one who may happen to be lying awake in the neighbourhood, fn cases where there is a probability of such an attempt, it is better both to tie and hobble them ; a lesson which I learned by experience. On the following day the chiefs assembled, and sat in council many hours, probably discussing the expe- diency of reprisals. Indeed, the subject affords a wide field for debate ; as the United States, in the stipulation for paying the annuities for ceded lands, exact from the Pawnees that they shall not send out war parlies to steal horses, as had been their constant practice ; in the mean- time the more distant tribes come in to hunt in the buf- falo prairies and steal the Pawnee horses, while the latter ' are forbidden to make reprisals. These stipulations would be very hard, if adhered to ; but I have good rea- son to believe that, during my residence with the Paw- nees, they sent out several horse-stealing parties, one of which was supposed to have met with considerable suc- cess among the Kanzas, a tribe settled on the river of the same name. The Indian notions of reprisals are very cosmopolitan ; if thirty horses are stolen from them, and they cannot discover the thieves, they consider them- selves perfectly justified in stealing thirty from the first party or tribe that may offer them the opportunity. I Gannot give reference "to the Pawnee Blackstone ; but the “ Jus et factum” are both indisputable. We remained now two days without seeing any buf- falo^ and I had nothing to amuse me but to watch, observe, and record the manners and customs of those around me. f received a visit from Tara wicadi-a* (or the Lit- tle Chief). He was the head chief of the Tapage tribe, and a man of considerable influence and ability. He * This chief has another council name, vide supra , which is indicative of his eloquence. 212 INDIAN CHARACTER. made me a present of a painted buffalo robe,* such as is given by a bridegroom to his intended father-in-law. It was not quite new, but the symbols are curious and clearly distinguishable, representing the claws of a bear, and two drawings of a bird and a beast with half a dozen tails, the genus or species of which would be problema- tical either to Linnaeus or Buffon. I had learned enough of the Pawnees to know, that they never make a pre- sent without expecting a more than adequate return, and consequently I paid the Tapage chief with a parcel of beads, knives, tobacco, and vermilion. In bargaining they are complete Jews ; they esteem a man who beats them down in the price of an article, and despise one who sells them anything at a low rate. Every hour that I spent with the Indians, impressed upon me the conviction that I had taken the only method of becoming acquainted with their domestic habits and their undisguised character. Had I judged from what I had been able to observe at Fort Leavenworth, or other frontier places, where I met them, I should have known about as much of them as the generality of scribblers and their readers, and might, like them, have deceived myself and others into a belief in their “high sense of honour” — their hospitality — their openness and love of truth, and many other qualities which they possess, if at all, in a very moderate degree ; and yet it is no wonder if such impressions have gone abroad, because the In- dian, among whites, or at a garrison, trading-post, or town, is as different a man from the same Indian at home as a Turkish “ Mollah” is from a French barber. Among whites, he is all dignity and repose ; he is acting a part the whole time, and acts it most admirably. He manifests no surprise at the most wonderful effects of machinery — is not startled if a twenty-four pounder is fired close to him, and does not evince the slightest cu- riosity regarding the thousand things that are strange and * The Indians paint various devices upon thpir robes, according to the ceremony or exploit which they wish to commemorate Thus there are marriage-robes, battle-robes, hunting-robes, medicine. robes, Ac. The one to which I refer above is a marriage-robe, and is still (1839) in my possession.. INDIAN CHARACTER. 213 new to him ; whereas at home, the same Indian chatters, jokes, and laughs among his companions — frequently indulges in the most licentious conversation ; and his curiosity is unbounded and irresistible as that of any man, woman, or monkey, on earih. Truth and honesty (making the usual exceptions, to be found in all countries) are unknown, or despised by them. A boy is taught and encouraged to steal and lie, and the only blame or disgrace ever incurred thereby is when the offence is accompanied by detection. I never met will) liars so determined, universal, or audacious. The chiefs themselves have told me repeatedly the most de- liberate and gross untruths, to serve a trifling purpose, with the gravity of a chief-justice ; and I doubt whether Baron Munchausen himself would be more than a match for the great chief of the Pawnees. Let them not dis- pute the palm — each is greatest in his peculiar line — one in inventive exaggeration, the other in plain unadorned falsehood. But from all these charges I most completely exonerate my old chief, Sa-ni-tsa-rish ; Nature had made him a gentleman, and he remained so, in spile of the corrupting examples around him. To give some idea of their “ want of curiosity,” I will merely relate the circumstances usually attending a feast, to which 1, or any of our party of four, was invited. On entering the lodge, I found a vacant place near the owner, who made signs that I should occupy it : if others, were: invited, we wailed till all arrived. A bowl, either of Indian corn or buffalo meat, was then placed in the centre ; the guests silting cross-legged, like tailors, around it. There was a horn spoon for each person ; and at the word. “ Lo,” or “ Lo-wa,” we all fell to work. This word comprises their whole vocabulary of “ assent,” “ satisfaction,” and “compliment;” it invariably begins and concludes a feast,, each guest saying it as he enters and leaves the tent. As the giver of the feast never eats with his guests, his occupation generally was to scrutinize me. He would first pass his hand all over my coarse blue check- ed shirt (or jacket) ; then he would take up mv knife — open and shut it twenty times — ask as many questions 214 CURIOSITY. about it, then pass it on to another : he would next take up, or take off my hat, and place it on his own greasy head, first cocking it on one side and then on the other — all the lime admiring himself in a pocket-mirror. While he was thus employed, another would pounce upon my red silk pocket-handkerchief, and wind it like a turban round the unwashed, uncombed, and thickly-peopled head of some half-pleased, half-frightened child ; and a third, in the meantime, would dive to the bottom of every one of my pockets, and submit everything therein contained — coins, copper-caps, pencil, &c., to the same diligent in- spection. After being among them some little time, I determined to put a stop to this nuisance, and whenever they touched my hat, knife, or anything else belonging to me, I quietly removed their hand, and told them gravely they must not do so. They soon found out I was in earnest, and they ceased from annoying me. I am not sure whether they thought tne a “sulky fellow” or a “great chief” in consequence of this conduct, but I rather believe the latter, as they treated me with more respect ; whereas my white companions pursued a less determined (perhaps, a more good-natured) course ; and I saw my friend Y ’s and my servant’s hat, and other articles, making the tour of heads and hands as long as we remained among them. As to their begging, I was obliged very early to put a stop to that ; for there was not a single thing in my possession that they did not ask for, even till I was tired of repeating “ Ka-ki,” No. INDIAN WOMEN. 215 CHAPTER XVI. Indian Women. — Children. — Nursery Discipline. — Girls. — Courtship. — Marriage. — A Missionary. — Occupation and Labours of married Women. — Degradation of the half-civilized Tribes — Education and Life of Indian Men. — An Indian Dandy. — His elaborate Toilet. — His Effeminacy. — Game at Javelin. — Indian Courage. Tt may seem unpardonable that I have so long defer- red any mention of the appearance, manners, dress, and condition of the “ ladies ” in this community. The de- lay has been occasioned by the best of motives, namely, a hope that longer experience might enable me to find some exceptions to such a general description as truth would oblige me to give. I waited long, and found none ; and am now under the unpleasant necessity of de- claring that, among the Pawnee females, I never saw one instance of beauty, either in face or figure — of neat- ness in dress — cleanliness in appearance, or of any one of those graceful and attractive attributes which generally characterize the softer sex.* Their life is one of perpe- tual degradation and slavery ; and, in spite of their slo- venly appearance, I could not withhold my admiration at the good- humour with which they perform labours une- qualled by those of any free servant or slave. In their in- fancy and early childhood they are completely spoiled. Some authors have pretended that Indian children never cry : this is as true as many other parts of their absurd histories ; I never was among children so given to cry and scream. I have seen them repeatedly do so (when they wanted any trifle which was refused them), with such incessant violence, that they ended by cough- ing most horribly and spitting blood ; then the alarmed mother would leave her work, and, instead of a good * I did afterwards see two or three pretty girls, but so few in number that I did not think myself justified in altering the text. 216 NURSERY DICIPLINE. whipping, give them whatever they asked for. Among other instances of foolish maternal indulgence, and its corresponding effects on a child, the following is not among the least ludicrous : — Jn our tent was a little girl, nearly two years old, so dreadfully affected wiih the hooping-cough, that it fre- quently caused me to lie awake half the night, and I hourly expected it to break a blood-vessel and die. This poor little wretch’s temper was as bad, and as badly nursed, as her health ; she governed the whole tent ; and 1 cannot conceive how she survived a week, consi- dering that her mother and aunts used all the means in their power to kill her, short of a “ lethal weapon.” I have seen her in the couise of one morning (she being only two years old !) eat a good bowl of half-boiled maize — then enough green grapes and plums to give the cho- lera to a bargeman — then a large hunch of buffalo meat, nearly raw ; in the midst of which last she stopped, and began to cry and scream, for what 1 knew not, but her mother knew better; and the poor woman was obliged to open her blanket and suckle the young screamer, who still held the half-eaten slice of buffalo meat in her hand !* Even the hints that kindly nature gave were lost upon them ; for, after she had rejected the unripe fruit, with evident proofs of her aversion, too disagreeable for me to forget, within ten minutes I saw the child again taking another, and at least as large a dose, of the same com- position. So much for infant diet! As they gro\y older their tyranny decreases, and by the time they are five or six years old, they are made to carry wood and wal£r, and enter upon the duties of their life ; before they are grown up, the more industrious and ingenious among them, add to their usual domestic accomplishments, the making of various little ornaments, and the painting of buffalo-skins. Suppose the young lady arrived at the age when the * The Pawnee women frequently keep their children unwearied till near three years of age, and thus, of course, have sometimes two or three sucking at once. The long, pendant breast of an Indian squaw, after a certain age, is one of the most offensive and disagreeable objects upon which my eye ever Tested. MARRIAGE. 217 short usurpation of Cupid is to be succeeded by the ab- solute monarchy of Hymen, the ceremony to be observed is (as far as I can learn) nearly as follows : — When the lover wishes to break the ice, he comes to her father’s tent uninvited, and sits on the corner of the mat for a considerable time, then rises, and goes away without speaking. This is the preliminary step in courtship, an- swering perhaps to the first gentle pressure of the hand — the first blushing hesitation in address — the first mu- tual glance of understanding. — But I am treading on dangerous ground, and must proceed no farther with these drawing-room “preliminaries.” Afier a few days the young man returns, wearing his buffalo-robe with the hair outward, and again sits down silent in the corner of the tent ; this is a regular propo- sal ; if the father is determined to reject him at once, no skin is placed for him to sit on, and no meat is offered to him ; but if he approves of the match, these usual rites of hospitality are observed, and he tells the young man that he will give a feast to obtain the consent of all his daughter’s connections, and advises him also to do the same by his relations ; should both of these feasts terminate favourably, the young man presents himself once more before his bride at the door of her tent, then turns round and walks slowly off toward his own ; she rises and follows him — the marriage is then complete ; (if she remain sitting, it is a sign that her family decline the match.) As soon as he reaches home he sends her father the marriage present, or rather, the purch se money for his wife , (indeed it is neither more nor less,) the amount of which is already pretty well ascertained by the father-in-law, and which consists of horses, blankets, or robes, according to the wealth or respecta- bility of the contracting parties. The most extraordinary part of this matrimonial affair is, that, having married the elder sister, he has a right to marry all the younger ones as they successively attain the age of puberty. Nor is this at all unusual ; on the contrary, it is a common practice, as the husband there- by secures so many additional slaves, and can obtain so much more corn, dried meat, dressed skins, &c., all of Vol. I.— T 218 A MISSIONARY. which are the result of female labour. When the second sister becomes marriageable, or rather, when it suits his fancy or convenience to take her, he sends her father a horse or other proportionate present, and she comes over to his lodge ; and so on with the other sisters.* I have seen several chiefs who have, in this manner, married a whole family ; the eldest wife being the greatest drudge, and the youngest being generally the favourite sultana, and consequently doing the least work. I cannot affirm the universal accuracy of the above account, because I could not understand the Indians suf- ficiently to extract much information from them. The French interpreter was extremely illiterate, ignorant, and uncommunicative ; and the only other source from which I could gather anything, was from a young man sent by the missionaries from New England to learn lire Pawnee language, with a view to his teaching their children here- after ihe elements of religion, morals, grammar, &c. The history r of the world affords ample evidence to prove that the fir3t spreaders of the Gospel among savage tribes, must be active enterprising men, and enthusiasts ; anything more directly opposite to these qualities than the character of the young missionary resident among the Pawnees I defy the whole world to produce, — he was the most quiet, indolent, phlegmatic being I ever beheld, and in taciturnity worthy to be a priest of Momus himself; however, I did now and then extract a few sen- tences from him, and such facts as he told me I could depend upon, as there did not appear to be a grain of fancy or invention in his composition : he had been with the Pawnees about eight months, and spoke a few words of the language, but he had not the “bump” — I beg pardon, the “ organ ” of language. His residence among them may be productive of some advantage to the esti- * This custom is common among other savage tribes besides the Pawnees. See Major Long’s “ Account of the Omahas,” vol. i. p. 230. Also the Padre Palon’s “ Description of Upper California,” quoted by Mr. Forbes ; “ it is very common for the wife to urge her husband to marry her sisters, and even their mother ! and the common custom is when a man marries, that he takes the whole of the sisters for wives.” — Forbes ’ California , p. 190, see Appendix. MARRIED WOMEN. 219 mate formed by the savages of the character of the whites, as his life is decent and moral ; whereas their in- tercourse has been mostly confined to the French traders, who are in general grossly licentious and profligate, hav- ing wives in every tribe they deal with, and tempting the poor savage to barter the honour (if among them it can be so called) of their daughters and sisters for a dram of whiskey. It is difficult to understand how so many Indians can have four, five, or six wives, and that so very few are un- married at thirty years of age, unless we suppose that three or four females among them are born to one male : it might have been accounted for formerly by the num- ber of men that died in their wars, hunting parties, and accidents; but these means of depopulation are so much more rare than they used to be, that they can scarcely be supposed to explain the great disproportion between the sexes. Having already brought the lady through all the dan- gers of celibacy, her matrimonial happiness will be most easily appreciated by a faithful narration of her daily oc- cupation when the village is moving. She rises an hour before daylight, packs up the dried meat, the corn, and other bales, strikes the tent, loads and saddles all the horses and mules, and at dawn the march commences ; they generally go from twelve to fifteen miles before their mid-day halt ; the husband rides, some animals are loaded, many run loose ; she travels on foot, carrying on her back either a child or a package of considerable size, in one hand a bundle or a can of water, with the other lead- ing one or two pack-horses. On arriving at the camp- ing-place, she unpacks the animals, and proceeds to pitch the tent, or lodge, as before described. But in order to appreciate the extreme labour of this apparently simple operation, it must be borne in mind that she has to force eight or ten poles, sharpened at the point, into ground baked nearly as hard as brick by a vertical sun ; they require to be driven at least six inches deep by the mere strength of her arms, as she is not assisted by the use of any iron-pointed instrument or any mallet. As soon as the tent is pitched and arranged, she goes in 220 LABORIOUS DUTIES. search of wood and water ; the latter is generally with- in half-a-mile of the camping-place selected, but the former, I can positively affirm from my own observaiion, she frequently has to seek and carry on her back three or four miles. From mingled commisseration and curiosity, I have once or twice raised these wood-bundles thus brought in, and am afraid to hazard a conjecture at their weight, but I feel confident that any London porter would charge high for an extra load, if he was desired to carry one of them half-a-mile : she then proceeds to light the fire, cut up the meat, and pound the corn, for which latter purpose she is obliged to use a heavy club, round at the extremity, and a mortar, hollowed by herself from the trunk of a walnut. As soon as the meal is finished, she has to strike the tent, re-load the horses, and the whole forego- ing work is to he repeated , except that ihe afternoon walk is generally not more than eight miles. This is the ordinary routine of a travelling day ; but on the day of a hunt, and on its successor, her labour varies in kind, not much in . degree, as, besides bringing wood and water, cooking, &c., she has to cut up all the meat into thin flakes or layers to be dried in the sun, to dress the skins and robes, the mode of doing which I shall have to notice presently ; to make the moccasins, leggins, and, in short, whatever clothing is wanled by any part of the family. To perform this incredible labour there were only three women in our lodge, and I never saw any of the three either grumble, or rest a moment, although plagued with the additional care and ceaseless crying of the two beforementioned brats. Lest it may be supposed that in the permanent or winter lodge they enjoy more rest, it is as well to mention that, in addition to their domestic duties, the whole of the agricultural labour, in their coarse system of raising maize, falls to their share. 1 Is it possible to contemplate this constant and severe fatigue, undergone with uncomplaining cheerfulness, without pity and admiration? And yet the women ap- pear contented and even happy ; they laugh under their burthens, and chatter during half the night. They HALF-CIVILIZED TRIBES. 221 seem even to be proof against the pains of the primal punishment brought, by sin, upon womankind ; for they pursue their ordinary occupations until the latest period of their labour, and immediately after the birth of the child resume them without interruption. It appears that no obstetric aid is required on these occasions ; if the village is on a march, the sister or some other female re- mains, for an hour, in the rear, with her friend, and then they rejoin the main body, and present the “ happy father” with a fine boy or girl, as the case may be ! Is it not possible that the progress of years, if it bring with it civilization and some alleviation of their drudgery, may mar the happiness they now enjoy, by implanting wants, desires, and seeds of discontent, to which they are still strangers 1 It is a melancholy but undoubted fact that the* half- civilized tribes are more licentious, treacherous, and de- based, both in body and mind, than those who know the white man only by distant rumour, and view him as their natural and irreconcilable enemy. This, however, is to be attributed, not to civilization abstractedly, nor to white man as a genus, but to whiskey, and the profligate vicious traders, chiefly Canadian French, who first introduced that liquid curse among them. I must now turn to the male portion of the common- wealth, and record a few particulars regarding them. As soon as the boys are able to run about they begin to practise the bow and arrow ; and in the barren prairies, where neither bird nor flower offers itself as a mark, their constant occupation is shooting at an arrow pre- viously sent by one of the little party. This they perform (to use a vulgar phrase) “turn about:” — A. shoots an arrow into the ground, about ten or fifteen yards off; B. shoots at it; then B. sends one for A. to aim at; and so forth. Until they attain the age of ten or eleven they remain more or less under their moiheFs control, and are made to help her in carrying water, and in catching or leading horses; but about that discreet time of life they begin to feel the dignity of their sex, and to perform such menial offices with repugnance ; and I have often ob- served with surprise and indignation, that if I gave a 222 AN INDfAft DANDY. gun-case or any kind of package to one of them to carry during a march, before ten minutes he would transfer it to his already overloaded and submissive mother, and re- turn to his bow and arrow with his companions. They delight, also, while they are lads, to follow their elder brother or father to the buffalo hunt, during which they keep a respectful distance in the rear ; but as soon as the game is killed, they assist at the dissection, and the horse on which they rode is used to carry the meat to the camp. About the age of twenty they are allowed to hunt, and seek other opportunities for distinction. This epoch answers to the Oxonian’s first appearance in London life after- taking his B. A. degree. I have seen some dan- dies in my life — English, Scotch, French, German, aye and American dandies too but none of them can com- pare with the vanity of coxcombry of the Pawnee dandy*. Lest any of the gentry claiming this distinction, and be- longing to the abovementioned nations, should doubt or feel aggrieved at this assertion, I will faithfully narrate what passed constantly before my eyes in our own tent; namely, the manner in which Sa-ni-tsa-rish’s son passed the days on which there was no buffalo hunt. He began his toilet, about eight in the morning, by greasing and smoothing his whole person with fat, which he rubbed afterwards perfectly dry, only leaving the skin sleek and glossy ; he then painted his face vermilion, with a stripe of red also along the centre of the crown of the head ; he then proceeded to his “ coiffure,” which received great attention, although the quantum of hair demanding such care was limited, inasmuch as his head was shaved close, except one tuft at the top, from which hung two plaited “tresses.” (Why must I call them “pigtails ?”*) He then filled his ears, which were bored * Tho fashion of wearing the hair varies in every tribe,, and in every individual of the tribe, according to the fancy of the person : but the method here described is the most prevalent among the Pawnees. The Ricaras plait a long stream of horse-hair with their crown-tuft, which floats wiidly in the breeze as they gallop, and gives them a terrible and picturesque appearance. I have also been informed by many of the Rocky Mountain traders, that some of the Crow chiefs (a nation to the noritv-west of the Ricara) wear hair of seven and eight feet long; and a HIS TOILH'T. 223 lh two or three places, with rings and wampum, and hung several strings of beads round his neck ; then, sometimes painting stripes of vermilion and yellow up- on his breast and shoulders, and placing armlets above his elbows and rings upon his fingers, he proceeded to adorn the nether man with a pair of moccasins, some scarlet cloth leggins fastened to hrs waist-belt, and bound round below the knee with garters of beads four inches broad. Being so far prepared, he drew out his mirror, fitted into a small wooden frame, (which he always, whether hunting or at home, cariied about his person,) and commenced a course of self-examination, such as the severest disciple of Watts, Mason, or any other reli- gious moralist, never equalled. Nay more, if 1 were not afraid of offending the softer sex by venturing to bring man into comparison with them in an occupation which is considered so peculiarly their own, I would as- sert that no female creation of the poets, from the time when Eve first saw “ that smooth watery image,” till the polished toilet of the lovely Belinda, ever studied her own reflected self with more perseverance or satisfaction than this Pawnee youth. I have repeatedly seen him sit, for above an hour at a time, examining his face in every possible position and expression ; now frowning like Homer’s Jove before a thunder-storm, now like the same god, described by Milton, “smiling with superior love ;” now slightly varying the streaks of paint upon his cheeks and forehead, and then pushing or pulling “each particular hair” of his eye-brows into its most becoming place ! Could the youth have seen anything in that mirror half so dangerous as the features which the glassy wave gave back to the gaze of the fond Narcissus, I might have feared for his life or ieason ; but, fortunately for these, they had only to contend with a low receding forehead, a nose somewhat s unious* a pair of small gentleman of character and education assured me that he had measured the hair of one of them nine feet. Like the faithful old Herodotus, I add “ these things I have not seen, but give them as they were told to me.” * I believe I can justly claim the invention or anglicising of this ■word. If I can, I consider the republic of letters under deep obligation to me. 224 DECORATION OF HIS HORSE. sharp eyes, with high cheek-bones, and a broad mouth, well furnished with a set of teeth, which had at least the merit of demolishing speedily everything, animal or vegetable, that came within their range. His toilet thus arranged to his satisfaction, one of the woman or children led his buffalo-horse before the tent; and he proceeded to deck his steed, by painting his fore- head, neck, and shoulders with stripes of vermilion, and sometimes twisted a few feathers into his tail. He then put into his mouth an old-fashioned bridle, bought or stolen from the Spaniards, from the bit of which hung six or eight steel-chains, about nine inches long ; while some small bells, attached to the reins, contributed to render the movements of the steed as musical as those of the lovely “ Sonnante,” in the incomparable tales of Comte Hamilton.! All things being now ready for the promenade, he threw a scarlet mantle over his shoulders ; thrust his mirror in below his belt ; took in one hand a large fan, of wild-goose or turkey feathers, to shield his fair and delicate complexion from the sun ; while a whip hung from his wrist, having the handle studded with brass nails. Thus accoutred, he mounted his jingling palfrey, and ambled through the encampment, envied by all the youths less gay in attire, atiracting the gaze of the un- fortunate drudges who represent the gentler sex, and ad- mired supremely by himself! On these blank days, the men who were not dandies passed the time in smoking, feasting, mending and sharp- ening their knives and arrows, or in the javelin game, of which last amusement they are very fond. It is played by two competitors, each armed with a dart, on the smoothest plot of grass which they can find. The arena is about fifty yards long. They start from one end at full speed ; one of the players has a small hoop, of six inches dia- meter, which, as soon as they have reached the middle of the course, he rolls on before them ; and each then endeavours to dart his weapon through the hoop. He who succeeds, counts so many in the game ; arid if nei>- t See Fleur-d 1 Epine. INDIAN COURAGE. 225 ther pierces it., the nearest javelin to the mark is allowed to count, but of course not so many points as if he had “ ringed ” it. This game is exceedingly hard exercise ; they play with many on a side, and sometimes for five and six hours, in the mid-heat of an August day, without inter- mission. It is made subservient to their taste for gam- bling; and I have seen them lose guns, blankets, and even one or two horses, in a morning. I have heard that they play at cards in their winter-quarters, but cannot vouch for the truth of the assertion. In fact, this is the only game that I ever saw among the Pawnees : but it is well known that other tribes play admirably at ball, after dilferent fashions, one of which resembles closely the English “ hockey,” or Scottish “ shinny,” and is played with a hooked stick. However, we must not be- lieve that Indian games are quite as various or scientific, as some careless authors have described them.* The courage of the Indians has been the subject of much controversy : I have had few opportunities of form- ing a practical opinion on the question. One thing, how- ever, is certain, that they invariably prefer ambush and artifice to open attack ; and the highest praise is given to the warrior who brings home a few scalps without losing a man ; but if he returns with a number of scalps, having lost a few of his own party, he obtains much less praise. No one can deny them the merit of passive courage or endurance. It would appear that their ner- vous system is much less irritable than that of the whites. I do not form this opinion from the numberless written narratives upon the subject ; but I have seen and con- versed with several Americans who have been engaged in Indian wars, and who have described to me tortures that they have beheld, too horrible to relate, and borne ei- ther with unflinching silence, or with a kind of frantic exultation, that dared the torturers to make ihe arrow sharper and to bring a hotter firebrand. This may be, * I remember, in an enumeration of them by some traveller, quoted by the author of a “ Winter in the Far West,” to have found the word tennis. — Query, had the said traveller ever seen a tennis-court, or did he know the meaning of the term 1 226 INDIAN COURAGE. and undoubtedly is, true in regard to inflicted pain ; but it certainly is not true relative to the sufferings of disease, or any of the natural “ ills that flesh is heir to.” I have more than once seen a full-grown strong-looking Indian moan and whine under the toothach or colic in a manner that, among us would shame “ a sick child.” Pa 6 -ta®-la e -cha’rd, who was, I think, the strongest and most formidable Indian in the camp, sent for me one day, and complained most grievously of pains in his body. He lay at full length, wrapped up in his buffalo-robe, and sighed and groaned most piteously. He held out his arm to me, and made me signs to bleed him ; an operation which those Indians who have seen or heard of it among the whites, are very fond of undergoing. I felt his pulse at the wrist; it was regular, firm, and quiet, I therefore told him that he was not very bad, and re- fused to bleed him. Having only performed this office once, and not being much of an adept therein, I never would attempt it, except in cases of urgency or danger. However, he continued his groans, although I felt con- vinced that the only malady under which he laboured was the effect of having eaten three or four pounds too much buffalo meat or boiled maize. While I was still sitting in the lodge, the heralds came round to cry that buffalo were near, and that the hunters might mount. The young chief sprang up, like a lion roused, snatched his bow and leather quiver, and in five minutes w'as at a full gallop over the prairie 1 THE CHASE. 227 CHAPTER XVII. Ceremonies attendant on the Buffalo Chase. — Adventures with Buffalo. — Number of Beasts slain. — Night Attack of the Shiennes. — The Con- flict. — War Songs. — A Council. — Religion. — Great Spirits and other Deities. — Religious Ceremonies. — Notions of Futurity. — Months and Years. — Office of Soldiers. — A “ Cerne,” or “ Surround.” — Buffalo Hunt. — Preparation of Buffalo Skins. — Strange Fuel. — March re- sumed. — Otoe Chief. — Deadly Feud between two Brothers. — Great Medicine Feast. — Impromptu Oration. — Indian Eloquence. — Grace before Meat. — Rapid Feeding. — Method of Invitation to a Feast. — Contrasted Temperature. — Change in the Aspect of the Country. On the 26th we started at four in the morning, in the hope of finding water before mid-day. About eight o’clock the cry of “ tahara” (buffalo) again echoed through the columns, and we were all ordered to halt. I rode forward to the head of the line, where a circle was made, consisting of the chiefs and prophets. Two long poles, belonging to the “ medicine,” and covered with feathers and shreds of cloth, were placed in the centre, and an hour was spent in speechifying, smoking, and medicine- mummery, to insure a good day’s sport. The warriors, or hunters, then went forward, and, half-a-dozen miles in advance of the main body, we found several large herds of buffalo. Each hunter selected the herd that he would attack, and we rushed in upon them from every side. It was a glorious sight to see the naked savages urging their horses to their utmost speed, with loud cries and repeated use of the cowhide : while the affrighted and maddened bulls galloped, or rather plunged, along the hill-side, only escaping one band of tormentors to fall in with another. A great slaughter ensued. I happened to have left my rifle, on this occasion, in the rear, with my servant, and was armed only with a pistol. However, I singled out two or three bulls and cows, and pursued them six or seven miles ; but wdien I reached them, was much an- 228 ADVENTURES WITH BUFFAFO. noyed to find that no effort or exertion could induce my steed to venture near them ; so I returned unsuccessful and out of humour to the camp. There I found that V had remained in the thick melee with the chiefs, and had killed, or helped to kill, three with a pistol. He had borrowed a horse fully trained for the sport, and he could ride close up to their tails; but the animal would never press forward enough to risk an encounter with their horns. I was determined not to let the sun set upon my blood- guiltless head; and, as it was only about two p. m., I mounted another horse, took my rifle, and again set out in quest of adventures. I soon found a bull in a neigh- bouring ravine, slighdy wounded by an arrow in his flank: and, as he was near the village, a large parly of women and children were answering, at a respectful distance, his roaring and bellowing by their shouts and cries. They told me to go and kill him. As the horse 1 had then mounted would not allow me to shoot from his back, I dismounted and shot a bullet into ibe bull’s shoulder ; after a short interval, he tottered and fell. I thought that he was just about to die, and imprudently walked up nearer to him. To my surprise, he sprung up and made at me ; I waited till he came within two or three yards, then fired my second barrel, and jumped on one side. He passed over the place I had ceded to him, and, after staggering on a short distance, he fell again. J reloaded my rifle, and was obliged to fire another ball, which put him out of his pain ; and then I left him to the tender mercies of the women and children, and, mounting my horse, cantered over the hills, in search of more game. I was soon aware of a fine bull, enjoying its solitary range at the distance of a quarter of a mile. I gave chase, and after a gallop of two or three miles, I came alongside the enemy ; but my Indian nag would not allow me to shoot off his back ; the moment I presented my rifle, he would wheel and jump, so as to preclude all possibility of taking aim. The bull chased me about fifty yards, but finding he had no chance of overtaking me, stopped and stamped. I dismounted, and a pitched battle now ensued, in which Purday’s double-barrel ulti- NUMBER OF BEASTS SLAIN. 229 mately gained the day; bat I never met with an animal so tenacious of life. He did not fall till he received my fourth ball in the heart; two having pierced him before, not more than three inches from the heart, and one hav- ing entered his eye, which I aimed at, in the expectation of thereby reaching his brain. I now returned to the camp, satisfied with my day’s sport. I might have killed three times as many with half the trouble, had I chosen to remain with the chiefs in the centre of the “ cerne,” and assist in the medley- massacre; but I could see no sport or excitement in a scene resembling too closely the shambles; besides which, it is impossible to have the undivided glory, as the greater number are pierced by three or four arrows, and you must either kill some other hunter’s wounded buffalo, or let him kill what 37DU have wounded, neither of which alternatives a sportsman would choose to adopt. I cannot say exactly the amount of the day’s slaughter, but it was between five and six hundred. Soon after our return from hunting I was invited to a feast, where 1 tasted a most luxurious dish, being the udder of a young cow ; it was well boiled, and was ex- tremely sweet, and delicate food. In the evening, the elders, or medicine-men, went round the encampment, uttering loud cries, (which were meant to express their gratitude to the Great Spirit for a plentiful supply of buffalo), and carrying a portion of the meat to the old and infirm who were not able to hunt, and who had no young man in their lodge to supply them with provision. About ten o’clock at night, after we bad all betaken ourselves to our bear or buffalo-skins, and the camp was as still as a Pawnee camp can be, a sudden yell or shout was raised, which reached the inmost recess of every lodge — “ Charicks waikta !” “ The enemy are upon us !” In a moment all was confusion and bustle. The tent of my old chief was pitched at the western extremity of the “ village,” and not more than two hundred yards from a small wooded ravine. The hostile band had contrived to elude the vigilance of our outposts, and to reach this place of concealment undiscovered ; consequently our Vol. 1 U 230 NIGHT ATTACK. predicament would have been a dangerous one, had they possessed sufficient force to profit by this advantage, or had our warriors allowed them time to improve it. But it was beautiful to see the readiness and rapidity with which our Pawnees were prepared to meet them. Each man’s bow and quiver were at his head; the laryette which secured his horse seived for a bridle; and in two minutes from the time when the alarm was given, the warriors and Braves were at full speed in the direction of the enemy. I jumped up from my bear-skin, and with a brace of pistols in my belt, a stout hunting-knife at my side, and a double-rifle in my hand, lost not a moment in joining my old friend, the chief, at the door of his lodge. My first care was to secure my horses, which, scared by the firing, yelling, and galloping around j them, struggled with all the power of terror and excite- ment to get free from their fastenings : fortunately I had I caused them all to be doubly secured and hobbled, so | that none of them got away. I then inquired of the Ji chief how I could be useful, and he pointed to the lodge, and the women and children, giving me to understand | that I must stay and protect them. Indeed, there was nothing else for me to do; inasmuch as had I sallied out in the dark with the others, I could not distinguish friend i from foe, and should have been as likely to shoot the former as the latter. Standing thus quietly on the defensive, I had leisure j to enjoy the wild beauty of the scene before me. The shrill and savage war-cry raised by a thousand voices — the neighing, struggling, and trampling of the excited horses, mingled with the howling of dogs, and the irregu* lar firing of their guns, with which the Pawnees directed and cheered their warriors to the scene of action — formed j a wild and exciting combination of sounds ; while the groups of women and children gathered round the pale and expiring fires, and the tall dark figure of the old chief, standing with his arms calmly folded beside me, served admirably to fill the interesting and picturesque fore-ground. At first, the shouts and yells approached — then they receded — then again they came nearer and nearer, and for a few minutes, I thought we might have WAR-SONGS. 231 a skirmish before our lodge (which was, as I before said, at the very extremity of the encampment). My rifle was ready with two bullets, each of an ounce weight ; and as our fire had been refreshed, so as to throw light upon an advancing party, I felt pretty sure that two of them would pay the penalty of a near approach. But I was not destined either to take or lose a scalp on this occasion ; the Pawnees were too strong and too active for their opponents ; the yells became gradually more faint and indistinct ; and at length the occasional dis- charge of a gun at a distance was the only audible sign of conflict or pursuit. I was anxious to find out who these fellows were who had dared to attack the Pawnees in their full encamp- ment, and learned from the first warriors who returned that they were S’niennes, about one hundred and fifty or two hundred in number, who had made this bold attempt to seize a number of the Pawnee horses ; at least, it is impossible to believe that they could from any other mo- tive have ventured, with a handful of men, to attack a camp containing above a thousand warriors, as well or better armed than themselves. The Pawnees, in making the Shienne sign, pretend to saw the left arm with the fore-finger of the left-hand; thereby denoting the marks which distinguish that tribe.* They are a warlike, marauding nation, who frequent the plains watered by the sources of the Platte and Arkan- sas, towards the base of the Rocky Mountains : they are generally at war with the Pawnees. As far as I could hear, they escaped without losing any of their party. As soon as their first attempt at surprise failed, they fled at full speed ; and the darkness of the night rendered pursuit ineffectual, if not impossi- ble. I presume that the Pawnees guessed their number by their horse-tracks in the morning; but possibly they were not very anxious to detach a body to follow them, as they did not know whether the Shiennes might not have a considerable force to retire upon in the neigh- bourhood. * The reader, who is curious about the Indian language of signs, is referred to the Appendix, 232 COUNCIL. In a short time, all was again still in the camp ; no- thing stirred, save here and there the dusky figure of some returning warrior who had followed the enemy farther than his comrades ; and no sound met the ear, except the low and monotonous war-song chanted by some of the Braves as they lay enveloped in their blank- ets on the side of a small hill commanding the encamp- ment. I was very sorry that I had no intelligent inter- preter from whom I could obtain a translation of these Indian lyrics. I did contrive, with the aid of the half- Frenchman, to gather a few phrases which may serve to illustrate the character of the whole. “ I rushed upon my enemy like a buffalo ! — I shouted my war-cry aloud l — Hi-hi-hi-hi-hi ! &c. — I took his scalp ! — His women howl for him in their lodge ! — I am a great war-chief l — I am called the Black Wolf! — Hi-hi-hi-bi !” These, and similar effusions of savage simplicity, form the soli- tary chant of a Pawnee warrior. On the following morning their blood was boiling with resentment at the affront which they had received. A council was held, but they carefully concealed their de- termination from me ; so that I have little doubt that re- prisals of some kind were carried nem. con. But of the measures which they adopted I remained in total igno- rance. Doubtless, they considered me somewhat in the light of a spy ; for when J inquired whether they had taken any scalps, or lost any men in ihe skirmish of the preceding night, they either pretended not to understand, or made the sign of “ mystery” or “ silence,” by placing the hand before the lips, and then extending it with the palm toward me. Even from Sa-ni-tsa-rish, who was usually very communicative, and gave me lessons in his language daily, I could gain no information on this sub- ject. As they remained for a day or two drying and cutting up their meat, I employed myself in endeavouring to get some idea of their religious tenets and superstitions. These are at best vague and undefined : to those who - understand their language they cannot, explain the theory of their belief, and the only method of attaining any knowledge of the subject is, by attentive examination DIVISION OF THE YEAR. 233 and careful comparison of the leading-features of their practice and ceremonial observances. As far as I can learn, their idea of a Divinity is a single presiding Being or Spirit, generally benevolent, but changeable, accord- ing to the supplies or offerings which he receives of buf- falo, of which they dedicate considerable portions to him, (No small part of this dedicated meat is consumed by the medicine-men.) Besides this Supreme Spirit, they believe in others of an inferior caste, (like the secondary gods in the Greek and Egyptian, or the genii and gnomes in the Eastern mythology,) in whom they imagine re- semblances to different kinds of animals, as buffalo, deer, bears, &c. Each man considers himself under the pecu- liar care of one of these inferior deities ; and in seasons of peril, grief, joy, or any other strong excitement, he will work himself up to a high pitch of enthusiasm, and imitate his tutelary spirit, either by creeping and growl- ing like a bear, or roaring and stamping like a buffalo, and so forth. They never eat or smoke without making a first-offer- ing to the Great Spirit. At a feast or ordinary meal, the first spoonful of maize or morsel of meat is placed on the grass for his use ; and, when they smoke, the first whiff is puffed upward in honour of him ; and generally the two succeeding, one on the right, the other on the ~ left, to the buffalo, or some other spirit. In regard to futurity, they believe that, if they have been bold hunters and brave warriors, they will, after death, inhabit a country where buffalo will be plentiful, and where the chase, the feast, and the pipe, will form their only occu- pation. They divide their year into twelve months, of thirty days, to each of which they give a name, descriptive of its peculiar produce, or occupation, as “ the corn month” — “ the cold month” — “ the sowing month” — “ the hot month” — “ the buffalo month,” &c. ; but I find that, with some other Indian tribes, the year consists of six months ; and the spring hunt and the winter hunt make the two years.* * A similar method of naming the months obtains among the tribes inhabiting the regions of the Upper Mississippi, as the Ojjibeways, 234 SOLDIERS. The 28 th of July, which was a beautiful day for buf- falo hunting, was entirely lost, (although the animals were close to the encampment and the wind favourable,) owing to the superstitious folly of the Indians, or rather, perhaps, to the intrigues of the chiefs. After going through a ceremony somewhat similar to the Heathen augury, the Great Spirit was declared by the medicine- men to be unpropitious for a hunt, and most of the day was consumed in electing “ soldiers.” This is the third class, or caste, among the Pawnees, having their rank next, to the braves ; their office is to watch the buffalo herds and the encampment, and to prevent any individual of their own, or another nation, from hunting without their permission ; in the discharge of this duty they are authorized to give a severe flogging, with whips of buf- falo-hide, to any one, even a chief, who transgresses the rules. These soldiers, under the direction of the great chief and the medicine, have the management of the hunt ; and as there existed some jealousy between the Grand and the Republican Pawnees, they could not settle which party should take the lead on this occasion in ap- pointing the soldiers, and the day was lost in disputing. As far as my opportunities enable me to judge, the Republicans are more dangerous and more given to thiev- ing than any other band of Pawnees. A “cerne,” or “surround,” in this part of the wilderness, requires a great deal of arrangement to render it successful ; and strange to say, it appears to me that the Indians have much less sagacity in this method of hunting than white men. The outline of the plan is simple enough ; it is merely to find out accurately the position of the herd de- Menomenees (or wild rice-eaters), &c. They divide the year into a certain number of moons, some of which are called after particular ber- ries that ripen at the season, as “ Ota-ha-mene Kezus,” the wild-straw- berry moon — “ Meno-me-he, ka-we Kezus,” the wild-rice gathering inoon,” &c. Other months are called in a similar manner, “Leaf-fall- ing moon,” “ Deer-rutting moon,” “ Ice-moon,” &e. Mackenzie says that the Knisteneaux, who, like the abovementioned tribes, are a branch of the Algonkin race or nation, name most of their months after diffe- rent animals, as “ the moon when birds lay eggs!’ — the moon when birds cast feathers” — “ the moon when the moose sheds his hoins,” &c. Vide “ Mackenzie’s History of the Fur Trade,” p, 100. BUFFALO HUNT. 233 voted to destruction, and then to send out distant parties, which are simultaneously to approach from different points, and hem them in on every side. This operation is easy on level giound; but the country we now tra- versed was abrupt and hilly, full of deep, sandy, and broken ravines ; thus the approaching parties were often concealed from the view of each other; some would press on too quickly, others arrive too late, and frequently hundreds of buffalo escaped, without a shot, through some steep gorge or valley, which had not been observed nor guarded. The buffalo, huge and unwieldy as he is, goes over the ground at a rate which is surprising ; he bounds along with large though clumsy strides ; and in a rough country he dashes down the steep sides of the broken ravines, making the dust, the sand, and the stones, fly around him, with a furious rapidity, that defies the pursuit of a rider who has any regard for the neck of his horse or for himself. The female, the constant object of the hunter, from the superior quality and tenderness of her flesh, is beyond all comparison swifier than the male ; she can run nearly three miles to his two, and gives a very fair chase to a horse of middling speed, fed only on grass, and carrying a man of ordinary size. Moreover, the In- dians have neither mercy nor consideration for their un- fortunate steeds : they ride with reckless fury, and often bring them exhausted and breathless to charge a fresh buffalo. On these occasions their temerity is sometimes rewarded by severe wounds, sometimes by death ; but the latter is not often the case, so great are their activity and fleetness of foot should their horse be killed. Tn the last hunt which I described, two horses were gored to death, and one Indian had his arm broken. On the 29th July, the whole village was like one work- shop, the women being all employed in cleaning and pre- paring ihe skins, which was not a matter of much im- portance at ihis season, as the hair on the buffalo is, ac- cording to the usual provision of nature, poorer and shorier in the summer than in the winter. The skins which they prepare in ihe former, are chiefly used in the construction of iheir lodges, the making of laryettes and 236 STRANGE FUEL. thongs, as well as of wrappers for bales, &c. It may not be uninteresting to record their process of prepara- tion. They first take the skin and stretch it in the sun, fixing it by small wooden pegs, driven through its border all round, into the earth : when thoroughly dry, they scrape all the hair from one side and the scurfy horny matter from the other, with a kind of crooked chisel, made sometimes of hard wood, more frequently of part of the leg-bone of the buffalo : they then proceed to soften the skin by spreading over it brains or any other mucilage which they can procure. The skins thus pre- pared are pliant and convenient materials for a lodge or tent, and resist the wet tolerably well. The process of preparation for the buffalo-robe in autumn and winter, is something similar as regards the inside of the skin : a good one is worth, at any of the Missouri agencies, three dollars and a half ; at St. Louis, five ; and at one of the atlantic cities, from six and a half to ten, according to the quality : the best are those made from animals killed in October, as the hair is then young, fine, and soft. On the evening of the 29th, both my laryettes (which were very strong and valuable of their kind) were stolen from my two horses, though tied not more than thirty yards from the front of our lodge. I should have been angry, had I not felt grateful that the rogues had not taken the horses also ! The wood in this region was extremely scarce, and the unfortunate squaws were rambling in all directions to collect buffalo-dung dried in the sun ; of this strange fuel they brought in a great quantity : when once tho- roughly ignited, it burns very well, emits a strong heat, and its smell is not so offensive as might be expected ; nevertheless, I did not feel disposed to follow the exam- ple of my red friends, who squatted close round it in a circle, and threw on it thick slices of buffalo meat, which they allowed to roast there for a minute or two, in ac- tual contact with the fuel, when they picked them out with their knives, and thus dined ! On the 30th, the Great Spirit was still unpropitious, and I had leisure to pursue my inquiries into the struc- ture of the Pawnee language. OTOE CHIEF. 237 We broke up our encampment late in the evening and travelled till ten at night, when we lay down on the prairie without lodges, fire, water, or food ; started the following morning at three, and marched about ten miles due south, when we pitched our camp by a small stream- let. We were obliged to pursue this southern course, as the Indians informed me that neither firewood nor water was to be obtained in a more westerly direction ; and we must hereafter make a south-eastern march in order to avail ourselves of the sources of the Saline ri- ver. and other streams falling into the Kanzas, and divid- ed from the upper waters of the Arkansas, by a high narrow ridge of country which now lay immediately before us. The Pawnees being at peace with the Otoes, had al- lowed a small band of that tribe to hunt with them this season : they were led by their chief Iotan, whose name is well-known to all those w r ho are familiar with the his- tory of the western tribes. The storv of his deadly feud with his elder brother, in which the latter bit off his nose, and afterward fell by his rifle, has often been repeated to me ; once, indeed, by an eye-witness of the brawl. The elder brother had repeatedly insulted and even beat the Iotan, as he was a man of greater stature and per- sonal strength ; but the Iotan is a brave and haughty warrior, and the biting off his nose was an outrage not to be pardoned even in a brother; accordingly, he re- venged it, and never attempted to fly, but awaited the sentence of the council of Braves, which terminated in his being elected chief in his brother’s place. This chief is highly esteemed, and has taken many scalps in his early days ; and even now, the fifty-five or sixty years which have passed over him, have neither dimmed the Are of his eye nor stiffened the elasticity of his joints. He is accompanied by four or five of his braves and by one of his wives. These men are more civilized than the Pawnees, ^and I believe affect to despise them; but in horsemanship, as well as in wild picturesque appear- ance and habits, they are very inferior. Old Iotan is upon very friendly terms with the whites : he speaks a few words of English ; and I learned from him some- 238 GREAT MEDICINE CHIEF. thing of his language : he is a brave, daring, and yet a quiet chief — but, alas ! he has been corrupted by the poison of the whiskey bottle. I went this day (31st) to a great medicine feast of chiefs, including all the principal warriors of the grand Pawnees, ihe Tapages, the Loups, and the Otoe Chief. As usual in such cases, the feast consisted of only one kind of food, and the number of wooden bowls and buf- falo-horn spoons indicated that fifty guests were expected to empty an enormous caldron of maize, which was boil- ing on a fire before the lodge : no excuses of illness or occupation are ever offered or accepted , and if one guest happens to be absent, the party, however numerous it may be, must patiently await his arrival. On this oc- casion we waited an hour and a half before the assem- blage was complete, during which the medicine pips went solemnly and regularly round, and the monotonous dignity of silence was rather heightened than diminished by the volumes of Kirmckenik smoke which hovered lazily over the motionless group. When the last guest had arrived, we were seated in two rows, each consist- ing of twenty-five persons, face to face, like a sedentary country dance, and the ceremony was commenced by an impromptu oration from an aged medicine-man selected by the great chief. This speech was an eulogium on the giver of the feast, narrating the deeds of his father, and concluding with an enumeration of his own prowess in battle, and generosity in furnishing the banquet. The orator spoke with great fluency, and with a mixture of simplicity and dignity, | which gave a pleasing effect to that which was in reality little more than fulsome and reiterated flattery. A great portion of his oration was in the form of question, or appeal to the audience; such as, “Was not his father a great chief among the people ? — was he n*t called ‘ the bear who walks at night?’ — Is not this chief like tfis fa- ! ther ? — has he not slain men ? — is not his^medicine-bag full ?: — is not his hand open to us now 1 — is not his tongue single ?” Such was the tenour of his language, according to what I could gather, and to such informa- tion as I could gain from the interpreter. At the con- IMPROMPTU ORATION. 239 elusion of each of these questions he made a pause ; and his audience testified their assent with the customary interjection “ Hou ! hou !” which they continued a few moments after he had ceased, in a manner less noisy, but similar to the “ hears” which gratify a speaker in the House of Commons when he resumes his seat. Other orators, selected apparently by acclamation, though quietly and without confusion, followed in a like strain ; and the feature most remarkable in their style of speaking was the total absence of hesitation, and the apparent facility and fluency of their enunciation. There is great beauty of modulation in the tones of an Indian orator’s voice, and I must confess that 1 have never in civilized life heard one that combined so much terrible fierceness with the softest and gentlest accents. The transition from one to the other is rapid, but not ungraceful, because the whole man is imbued with his subject ; and while the praise of hospitality, or a “ single tongue,” is delivered with a grave and gentle demeanour, the threatenings of revenge, the recital of a bloody fray, and the declamation of angry invective, transform the orator into a fierce warrior ; his eye becomes red and dilated — the veins on his forehead start into ridges like cordage, while the muscular heaving of the advanced and swollen chest, give full effect to the rapid utterance of the lips and the terrible loudness of the voice. To return to our feast. As soon as these orations were concluded, twenty-five large wooden bowls of maize were placed before the guests, two spoons being placed in each bowl, and the messmates being vis-a-vis, and not side by side. Before a morsel was tasted, the first chief set apart one large spoonful, and gave it to the master of the ceremonies, or the officiating medicine-man, who made with his scalping-knife two small holes in the earth ; and having divided the spoonful of maize into two unequal portions, the larger of which was dedicated to the buffalo (subordinate spirit), the smaller to the Great Spirit, he turned to the east, and three times bowed his body, at the same time raising and lowering his hands : then again he turned to the guests, and went through the same ceremonial of benediction, after which the work of de- molition began. 240 RAPID FEEDING. In many of the feasts which I had previously attend- ed, I had been led to admire the capacity and perseve- rance of hungry Indians, but I had never before been witness to a trial of speed such as the present. On ordinary occasions, the Pawnee rule of etiquette is, that when the invited guests have eaten as much as they please of the meal set before them, he among them who came in last, and occupies the place farthest from the host — usually the extreme left — takes the remainder, whether it be buffalo meat or maize, and carries it back to the women of his lodge ; an omission of this usage is considered an incivility; but on the present occasion the rule was, not only that every thing must be eaten on the spot , but should also be devoured as soon as possi- ble ; and those who were last in this masticatory or di- gestive race, were laughed at and lightly esteemed by their competitors.* The bowls held about three quarts each of boiled maize, which, from protracted simmering over the fire, had acquired a consistency between that of porridge and paste : this glutinous mass was to be swal- lowed without the aid of milk, salt, water, or any other assistant whatsoever ; and, to crown my misfortunes, I had already been to two common feasts, and had taken my usual quantum of dinner before I received this great medicine-invitation. Of course, my first impulse was to cast an inquiring look at the corporeal proportions of the partner whom fate (or rather the great chief) had allotted to me in the approaching trial, in the hope that my eye might rest upon some lanky capacious man, who might have, like Cassius, “ a lean and hungry look but alas ! it fell upon the round and good-humoured countenance of a plump little chief, who had accompanied us from Fort Leavenworth, and whom I knew, from the circumstance of his father having saved the life of my friend Captain C , of the United States’ army, on an occasion when he had been so unfortunate as to fall into the hands of a hostile Pawnee party. My “fat friend” gave me to un- derstand that his stomach was not in fighting order, and I * For a similar custom among the Knisteneaux Indians, see Appendix. - RAPID FEEDING. 241 cast a rueful glance at the great bowl before me, revolving in my mind the various gastric feats performed by Jack the Giant-killer, Fortumo’s follower, and other heroes celebrated in nursery legends ; but there was little time for reflection — the signal was given, and the onset com- menced. 1 have read in travel volumes, and I have seen in- stances, of the extraordinary speed with which the mixed company at crowded American hotels or steam-boat din- ners can clear a well-loaded table ; but here they would have been distanced, and beaten beyond all comparison. Neither do I believe that any of them, from a Yankee pedler to a Kentucky boatman inclusive, could have demolished one-third of the mess in the allotted time. In all my intercourse with the Pawnees, I made it a rule to humour their prejudices, and to accommodate myself to their usages, however absurd. Moreover, I endea- voured to make them believe that I could surpass them in anything which J chose to attempt. I had contrived to give currency to this belief, by engaging some of their strongest men in the exercise of throwing, or “putting,” a heavy stone, to which they were altogether unaccus- tomed ; and, more than once, by shooting with them at a distant mark, where the great superiority of my rifle over their miserable guns enabled me to hit an object at a hundred and fifty yards, which they could not touch at fifty. I thought it essential to my estimation, if not to my safety among them, to keep up this belief in my supe- riority ; and even in the present absurd instance 1 did not wish that our bowl should be the last finished. How- ever, it was in vain that I attacked it with a most deter- mined spirit ; the solid, sticky, indigestible mass resisted my utmost efforts ; and while I was labouring at the mastication of small morsels, I could see fragments of one or two square inches finding their easy way down the Indian-rubber throat s of mv competitors. Any man who has seen a small short-legged spaniel running after a large rough greyhound, in heather between two and three feet high, can form an estimate of the kind of race in which I was here engaged. Vol. I.— X 242 MANNER OF 1NVIT ATICN. Fortunately for my credit, my plump comrade stop- ped short, and pleaded severe illness, (which was, indeed, true, for, instead of stuffing himself with maize, he ought to have been using fever medicine and the lancet ;) and his left-hand neighbour, a huge hungry warrior, who had already disposed of his allowance, was permitted to replace him. With the aid of this new ally, my bowl became more empty. I contrived to give him the largest spoon, and used other generous devices to bestow upon him at least two-thirds of our mess, of all which move- ments on my part he seemed perfectly unconscious; but he went quietly on, swallowing his portion with imper- turbable gravity ; and when our bowl was emptied, he seemed as ready to begin another as before. Alas ! even with this powerful auxiliary, I was last but one in the sweepstakes. The ordinary method of invitation to a feast is as fol- lows : — A boy or lad, not yet classed among the hunters, is sent from the lodge of the host to that of the invited party; on arriving, he merely mentions the name of the latter, making a slight inclination of the head, when he remains perfectly still until the guest rises to follow him to the feasting-lodge. These young messengers are pro- vokingly persevering in the discharge of their office, and will find the victim of their politeness however desirous he may be of absenting himself. On one occasion, having eaten three or four dinners of buffalo meat, and dreading another invitation, I took my rifle and strolled along the banks of a creek for two or three miles, until I found a few dwarf elders, which promised the luxury of a littlp quiet and shade. I lay dowm below them, drew a volume from my pocket, and began to read. I had been thus occupied not more than ten minutes, w hen I heard a gentle voice by my side call me by name, Keshada-ia-ka (white chief) ; I looked up, and saw a boy about twelve years of age, who had followed or tracked me all this distance to summon me to a feast. I was obliged to replace Milton in my pocket and follow my young tormentor, under the penalty of insulting the In- dian who had sent him. August 1. — This day was, I believe, the anniversary A STAMPEDO. 243 of my arrival in the United States ; but how different in character and temperature ! The wind blew from the north-east, accompanied by a drizzling rain, over an ocean of prairie, where there was neither tree nor moun- tain to check its sweeping course ; and the day was cer- tainly as raw and cold as an average November in Scot- land ; whereas, on the same day last year, the thermo- meter in the shade at New York was at Fahrenheit. The character of the country was somewhat changed since we left the north branch of the Kanzas river, as it became gradually more flinty. The only vegetation was the prickly pear and the grass ; which last, though very short, is sweet and nutritious, and would, I believe, make excellent sheep-pasture, but the wolves would be the only shepherds ; for assuredly no human being could reside permanently in this barren wilderness, ill-supplied as it is with water, and worse with fuel. We wasted day after day in idleness, and began to be most heartily tired of our Pawnee friends. CHAPTER XVIII. A Stampedo. — Number of Horses in the Encampment. — Moccasins. — Prickly Pears — Feet wounded by them. — Indian Surgery. — Impro- vident Inactivity. — Desire to return to the civilized World. — Indian distortion. — Medical Faculty. — Modeof Practice — Stroll after Night- fall. — Narrow Escape. — Scarcity of Water. — Haitans. — Buffalo Hunt. — Dinner on raw Buffalo Meat. — Long Shot at an Antelope. — Advantage of the Bow over the Rifle in Buffalo Hunting. — Value of the Buffalo to the Western Tribes. — An Accident. — Extraordinary Spot. — Bird Nesting. — My Library. — Thoughts of Home. — Herd of Buffalo. In the last six days we had travelled but few miles ; and, exeept in pursuing my difficult and unsatisfactory inquiries into the customs and language of the Pawnees, I had little to relieve the dirty monotony of our lives. One evening, however, we had a magnificent specimen of a scene of which I had previously seen instances of a more partial character ; this is called by the white Ira- 344 A STAMPEDO. ders a Stampedo ; a most expressive word, which the following sketch may serve to explain : — About an hour after the usual time at which the horses were brought in for the night, hobbled, and otherwise secured near the tents and fires of their respective own- ers, an indistinct sound arose like the muttering of distant thunder. As it approached it became mingled with the howling of all the dogs in the encampment, and with the shouts and yells of the Indians. In coming nearer, it rose high above all these accompaniments, and resem- bling the lashing of a heavy surf upon a beach. On and on it rolled towards us, and partly from my own hearing, partly from the hurried words and actions of the tenants of our lodge, I gathered that it must be the fierce and uncontrollable gallop of thousands of panic- stricken horses. As this living torrent drew nigh, I sprang to the front of the tent, seized my favourite riding-marej and, in ad- dition to the hobbles which confined her, twisted the long laryette round her fore-legs, then led her immediately in front of the fire, hoping that the excited and maddened flood of horses would divide, and pass on each side of it. At the same time I directed my servant to secure anoiher of my horses ; but he was so confused and astonished by the roaring tumultuous sound, that he seemed to have thought that the Shiennes were again attacking us— and, instead of following my instructions, ran about, before and in the tent, looking for pistols l As the gallopping mass drew nigh, our horses began to snort, prick up their ears, and then to tremble ; and, when it burst upon us, they became completely ungovernable from terror. All broke loose and joined their affrighted companions, ex- cept my mare, which struggled with the fury of a wild beast, and I only retained her by using all my strength, and at last throwing her on her side. On went the mad- dened troop, trampling, in their headlong speed, over skins, dried meat, &c., and throwing down some of the smaller tents. They were soon lost in the darkness of night and in the wilds of the prairie, and nothing more was heard of them save the distant yelping of the curs which continued their ineffectual pursuit. HORSE'S IN THE CAMP. 245 This is a stampedo , and is one of the most extraor- dinary scenes I have ever beheld, -as may easily be ima- gined by any one who reflects that this race of terror is run in darkness, only partially lighted by the fitful glare of half-extinguished fires, and that it is moreover run by several thousand steeds, driven by terror to ungovernable madness. The first origin of the panic I never could learn ; but its consequences were such as might be sup- posed, namely, that the whole of the following day was occupied in driving back, securing, and appropriating the horses to their respective masters. I do not think that many were lost to their rightful owners. For my part, ] lost none ; but, by a strange inconsequence of honesty among my Pawnee friends, all my halters and laryeltes, broken or unbroken, were taken away. The reader may imagine that it was impossible for me to ascertain, with any approach to accuracy, the number of horses in the Pawnee encampment ; but, lest he should be disposed to consider the above description exaggerated, I will subjoin the facts upon which I founded my calculation. There were in all about six hundred lodges. Some of the poorest families had perhaps only two or three horses, wherewith to transport all their meats, skins, children, and the poles and other articles composing the lodge ; but many of the chiefs and braves, who had been successful in war-parties, had from eight to twelve. My old chief, Sa-ni-tsa-rish, had been robbed of most of his horses the preceding year by a hostile party of Sioux, and he gave me to understand, that his eldest son was now on an excursion beyond the Arkansas, to trade for some with the Camanches, Haitans, and other southern tribes ; meanwhile he had only five or six, and those of the meanest description. But I examined more than once the stud of the great chief, and of his son Pa 6 -ta®- la e -cha’rd ; the latter had three or four mules and fifteen or twenty horses ; the former at least thirty, among which were some wild, some Spanish, and three of American breed. After this little incident, we resumed our usual routine of feasts 'of buffalo meat, and sometimes half-boiled maize, bruised or whole, eight or ten times a-day. As X^* 246 Moccasins. hunting was strictly forbidden, the only change from these continual and uninviting meals, was to lie in the close and dirty lodge, wvhere the perpetual squalling of children rendered reading almost impossible. The squaws in our lodge continued to be very kind to me, and often was I roused from a reverie or a short sleep by feeling them tickle my feet, in endeavouring to fit upon them a pair of moccasins which they had made for me. It is well known that the moccasins of almost all the tribes differ from each other in fashion and ornament; and if an experienced prairie hunter finds one in the wilderness, he can form a shrewd guess at the tribe of him who dropped it. Among them all I think the most ugly and shapeless are those of my friends the Pawnees; however, as the squaws gave them to me, I felt bound to wear them ; and my gallantry cost me dear, for the plain where we were camped was full of prickly pears* and those too the coarsest and largest which I had yet seen ; some of the thorns on the leaves were four or five inches long, w’ith a kind of bulb or barb at the point, supposed to be slightly charged with poison. How the Indians avoid them in the dark I cannot learn ; certain it is, how- ever, that in going about camp after dusk I wounded my feet repeatedly, though I could not see many Indians lamed by them. But at last I received so severe a lesson that I was obliged to give up my moccasins, and take again to my thick shoes, until we should leave this sandy region. I was going out to feast at the lodge of a Tapage brave, who lived at some distance, and the evening had closed in before I reached it. My path lay through a bed of these odious plants. I put my left foot upon one, and receiving a smart puncture, leaped forward, and came with my right foot, and with all my weight, full upon another; a strong thorn ran an inch or two into my foot below the instep, and as I stumbled, broke off nearly even with the skin. I limped forward as well as I w'as able, and finding my host sitting behind his fire, accosted him with the usual salutation, “ Lovv-a,” and, according * The botanical name is Cactus ferox . INDIAN SURGERY. 247 to Indian custom, took my seat by him in silence, with- out mentioning my hurt, although my foot felt as if on fire. He happened to be a good-natured fellow, and while the squaws were separating, and laying before each of the guests a buffalo-rib, he pointed to my foot, and said, “The Chalick’s ta-ka is hurt.” I told him, with as much indifference as I could affect, that a thorn had gone through my moccasin, and was now deep in my foot. He said one of his young men should take it out ; and gave directions to a youth of about twenty to come for- ward. When the stocking and moccasin were removed, and my white foot and ankle were uncovered, with a small blue circle of inflammation round the heel of the thorn, a look passed among the dusky figures who were around me, which I interpreted into a kind of insulting pity for the tender skin of the pale-face. My indigna- tion made me forget the pain. The young man succeeded, after sundry efforts, in getting hold of the end of the thorn ; and he began to pull it gently, but strongly, from its bed. Fortunately, it was very large and tough, and did not break, but, as the barb met with much resistance as he drew it through the inflamed parts, I thought I had never felt a more acute pain for a moment or two ; but the iron visages and glar- ing eyes .around me effectually steeled my pride, and, except a heightened flush on my face, I believe I w§nt through the sharp, though trifling operation, with as much stoic indifference as would have been displayed by one of themselves. I believe that an involuntary exclama- tion, or shrinking of the body, would have lowered me much in their estimation ; as it was, the young man showed the thorn, with the blood upon it, to the brave, who said “Ugh !” and the feast proceeded. I walked home, like a culprit, of old, among hot ploughshares, and put away mv moccasins in mv saddle-bags. The folly of the Indians in wasting so much valuable time was to me almost incomprehensible, when it is con- sidered that their whole winter supply of provisions de- pends upon the summer hunt,. They would be obliged to return to their village in three or four weeks, or they would lose their crop of maize * but their thoughtless im- 24S INDIAN EXTORTION. providence is proverbial. Several causes of anxiety an- noyed me. I had lost by fatigue, and the inclusions of hostile tribes, four of my original stock of horses ; neither was the remainder in a very effective condition. My German companion, as well as both my attendants was most anxious to return to the civilized world ; and I con- fess we had few inducement to remain. I therefore ex- amined the contents of my packs, in order to see whether I had still enough to purchase two or three horses. There appeared more than sufficient to buy them at their usual price, namely, one pair of Mackinaw blankets, a piece of scarlet cloth, a few ounces of rouge, half a pound of tobacco, some beads or trinkets, and half a dozen knives, such as are commonly used by butchers. The half- p awnee interpreter gave me no assistance ; but he seemed to be upon an understanding with the savages, that, as we were obliged to purchase horses at any rate, it was as well to make us pay handsomely for them; indeed, no Yorkshire dealer, nor channel pilot, nor Yankee pedler, ever outdid the iniquitous enormity of their demands. Nor were the young men whom we spoke to, in reference to acting as our guides homeward, much less unreasonable than lhe horse-dealers. I agreed, however, with one (a younger brother of Sa-nf-tsa-rish), and an active lad related to him. The bargain, which was the best that I was able to make, was, that I agreed to give them, on arriving at Fort Leavenworth, the value of three or four horses. Nevertheless, I was not so angry at this extortion as at the other, because the guides must experience much fatigue and difficulty in taking us over so extensive a wilderness ; besides which, they ran no little risk of falling in with stray war or hunting- parties of Shiennes, Sioux, Ricaras, or other hostile In- dians, who would certainly scalp them , and probably us, also, for being in their company. p. The avarice and extortion here complained of form a strange contrast with the open and constant hospitality of Indians in regard to food and clothing; but of all the rogues in the tribe, those most pre-eminent in cheating and hypocrisy are the “ medical faculty These fel- lows are of a kindred character with the Augurs; or great MEDICAL FACULTY. 249 medicine-men, and are, in fact, a lower branch of the same department. Any ignorant idler who takes it into his head to become a doctor, gives notice of it to the Pawnee world by assuming a solemn deportment, wear- ing his robe with the hair outward, and learning to make a noise in his throat, which is distinctive of his profes- sion, and which resembles the sound made by a person who is gargling for a relaxed uvula. Here his medical studies and accomplishments end ; and his reputation de- pends entirely upon the result of his first attempts, which must evidently be altogether fortuitous. In great cases, such as a broken leg or mortal disease of a chief, the medicine-men are called in to assist with their mummery; but the treatment of ordinary diseases by these practitioners, will be understood by my noting down accurately what took place at the daily and nightly visits of the doctor who attended our chief’s lodge. The patient was one of the children, gradually and certainly dying, from shameful maltreatment under the hooping- cough. It should, however, be remembered, in excul- pation of the Galen, that the parents fed the child three or four times a-day, with enormous meals of half-boiled maize or buffalo meat, each of which acting as an eme- tic, enabled the wretched little sufferer to swallow its successor. The learned doctor stalked into the lodge with all the dignified importance of the most practised pulse-feeler, rarely deigning to salute the parents or other inhabitants. He then stooped down over the child ; took a little earth in his hand, which he moistened with saliva, and, with the precious mixture thus formed, he anointed the shoulders, the forehead, and other parts of the child, es- pecially the pit of the stomach ; then approaching his mouth to this last, and covering with his robe his own head and the person of his patient, he commenced the gargling operation to which 1 have before alluded. This I have known him frequently to continue for three or four hours at a time, w r hen he left the unfortunate sufferer as he found it, without having used friction or embrocation, or administered medicine of any kind whatever. It only remains to add, respecting the disciples of 250 STROLL AFTER NIGHTFALL. dEsculapius, that if the patient recovers, their fame is blazed abroad, and they receive in horses, meat, blan- kets, &c., a fee much higher in proportion to the wealth of any of the parties, than was ever given to Sir Asiley Cooper or Sir Henry Halford. If the patient dies, the doctor is considered “bad medicine,” and generally leaves the profession for a year or two, during which time, he pursues the ordinary avocations of stealing, hunting, or fighting, until his ill-name is forgotten, or some fortunate incident has obtained for him a white-washed reputation. Such is a sketch of the Pawnee faculty. As I alluded lately to the hospitality of this, as of other tribes, I should qualify those expressions by mentioning, that although I considered my life, and my property, even to the merest trifles, safe, while under the shelter of my old chief’s lodge, I am not justifiable in making the same assertion respecting all the other Indians of the tribe ; that is, I W'as his guest, not their guest ; and the old man himself warned me and my companion repeatedly, that there were “ many bad men about,” and that we should not, on any account, stray from the encampment after dusk. Of course, we did not neglect this caution ; but, on one afternoon w T e ran some risk of paying a severe penalty for having forgotten it. We had been to a feast, given by a chief whose lodge was near the boundary of the camp ; and, after taking our leave, were tempted, by the extreme beauty of the evening, to take a short ramble and enjoy the cool fresh- ness of the twilight. We wandered on, and became so much interested in talking over home (as we then styled Fort Leavenworth), and our plan for reaching it, that we were unconscious of the distance we had walked, until a pause in the conversation, and the deepening shades warned us of our imprudence. I turned round and saw an Indian following us, with a bow in his hand and a quiver full of arrows at his back. I looked at my own belt and that of my companion, and became con- vinced of the unpleasant truth that we were both entirely unarmed. I asked him if he had not even a pocket-pis- tol or knife. Knives we had, but gun or pistol none It w'as the first time that I had laid aside my fire-arms, SURLY INDIAN. 251 and the first time that either of us had disregarded the old chief’s warning. There was something most galling, and I might almost add, fearful, in the idea of the possi- biliiy of our being shot down there, like two deer, without the chance of a struggle for our lives, and where none but the savage, at whose mercy we were, could ever learn the manner or place of our death. Such thoughts pass through the mind with a rapidity unknown to the pen. But we had no time to deliberate : hesitation, when dealing with Indians, is certain destruction : indeed, among white men it is often little better. We agreed to turn instantly, and walk quickly up to him, with the farther arrangement, that if we saw him draw out an arrow to fit it to his bow, we would both run upon him at once, and, as he could shoot but one, the other might use his knife as he best might. We put this plan in execution, and he was evidently taken by surprise. He was an Indian whose face I did not remember to have seen before ; and a more malignant scowling visage I never beheld. In an inslant we were at his side ; and I gave him the salination of the evening with as little distrust and as much confidence in his intentions as I could assume. I got nothing but a short growl for an answer. He ap- peared desirous ihat we should prosecute our walk, and let him remain again behind : but I told V to keep him now that we had got him, and not to lei him leave us on any pretence, as, at these close quarters, where his bow was unserviceable, either of us was a match for him in strength. 1 could get. no words from him ; his eye was troubled, and his whole look villainous. I told him carelessly, that “ it was late, and it was good logo back to our chiefs and, half locking my arm in his, we returned toward the camp. When we had reached a point whence we could see the fires, and from which the noise of a struggle would reach the outposts, we felt comparatively secure. Immediately before us were some very small mounds, or hillocks ; and, as we approached them, our Indian broke from us, and, running forward, spoke in a hurried accent to two or three of his red brethren, who lay concealed, and when on the ground, 252 NARROW ESCAPE. were scarcely distinguishable. His communication to them was doubtless to the effect that the plan had failed ; for, on receiving it, they stole off in various directions. It was now preity evident that this party of rogues had watched us when we began our walk, and had de- spatched one of their number to follow 7 us stealthily. When we had wandered sufficiently far to prevent any chance of discovery from the noise of a struggle reach- ing the camp, he would have returned, brought them with him, and have shot us, in order to get possession of our clothes, knives, and such weapons as they might suppose us to have. I moi/ do them wrong ; but this is my firm conviction as regards their intentions towards us. If we had there lost our lives through our folly in neglecting warnings, and going moreover unarmed, it must be confessed we should have deserved our fate. I was glad to sit down again in old Sa-ni-tsa-rish’s lodge, and of course said nothing to him of the incident. We had no proof whereon to ground an accusation, and I always avoided even the slightest appearance of distrust. On the 2d of August we broke up our encampment at daylight, and moved on about twelve miles south; halted, and pitched our tents by the side of a small muddy streamlet, which we were glad to find not quite dry. Indeed, if one wished for an illustration of the delusive nature of many of our fondest hopes and ex- pectations in life, I scarcely know 7 wheie to find one more apt and appropriate than the constant disappointment to which the traveller is liable in this western wilderness. He pursues his weary way under a burning sun, until half exhausted by heat and fatigue, he sees in the dis- tance a curved green line of poplar or small cotton-wood trees, by which the course of a stream or creek is always indicated. Cheered and refreshed by the view, he spurs on his jaded horse, and arrives, at length, at the wished- for point, where he sees to his dismay, the hot sun- beams reflected from white stones and dry sand — which form, indeed, in spring or winter, the bed of a river; but where he might now search in vain for a drop of water to ccol his parched tongue ! That drop is a luxu- ry which he must again search for, and which may cost HAITANS. 253 him another hour or two of weary travel ; and fortunate is he if it does not cost him haff a day. To proceed. At mid-day we went to hunt buffalo. There were marks and indications of large herds ; but the beasts had been frightened away by a war-party of Haiians, who had been here only the night before. These Indians were not at war with the village in which I was living, but with the Pawnee Loups, who stole some horses from them last year, and the principal band of whom were now hunting to the northward of us. The Haitans seem to be a small wandering tribe, who gene- rally roam between the countries inhabited on the north by the Pawnees, and on the south by the Camanches ; and their principal employment seems to consist in steal- ing horses from the Mexican and other traders, and sell- ing them to their more powerful neighbours. I learned distinctly from the Pawnees, that many of their horses had come from the Haitans ; and as cer- tainly that a great proportion of the guns and other arti- cles annually distributed (as before stated) among tiie Pawnees, find their way to this rambling tribe, in pay- ment for their horses. At this time Sa-ni-tsa-rish’s eldest son was upon a trading expedition with them, as I have before mentioned, and his return with a few horses was daily expected. The old chief seemed to await his ar- rival with the greatest anxiety. I could not start so early in the chase this day as some of my red brother hunters ; so the cows and the advanced guard of the herd were many miles a-head be- fore I came on the field of action. I was now sensible of the vital importance of sparing my horses as much as possible, that l contented myself with assisting in the slaughter of a few scattered fugitives. I was moreover, ravenously hungry and almost faint for want of food, for it was now about four o’clock in the afternoon. I had eaten nothing since noon of the preceding day, and had been since dawn in the saddle, under a most oppressive sun. I came to a spot where a young bull had been slightly wounded by two or three arrows, the owners of which were now walking round and round him, at a re- spectful distance, as he had turned to bay, and con- Vol. I.— Y 254 A BUFFALO SHOT. fronted his nearest antagonists with a most determined air. An Indian does not often shoot at a buffalo whose head is toward him, knowing the impenetrable nature of his fore- head, and of the shaggy mantle of hair which protects the fore part of his body : beside which, these men and their horses, were wearied by the long gallop which the pursuit had given us. As I approached, they asked if “ the white chief would kill the buffalo with his great gun?” I gave my assent, and, going up within sixty yards, wounded him with my first, and killed him with my second ball. I reloaded my rifle, while the Indians cut him up with a speed which appeared to me, even among them, unex- ampled ; indeed, they were nearly famished ; and as they squatted on their hams round the huge animal, and devoured large slices which they cut of yet warm, a civilized man might have doubted whether they w r ere wolves or human beings. But I was no longer a civi- lized man — hunger had triumphed over the last traces of civilization — I received with thankfulness, and ate with eagerness, a good piece of the warm liver, untouched by fire, water, or salt, and I found it as agreeable to the palate, and as tender as an) morsel I ever tasted. It must sound horrible to others, as it did to me a few weeks ago, but let none condemn me till he has been in a similar situation. Here a little incident occurred, which was probably of great use to me in raising to a height altogether un- deserved, the Indians’ opinions of my powers, as a marksman ; and I feel assured, that none of the party who saw it, nor any of those to whom they may have related it, would eve’r approach me openly with hostile intent. While we were enjoying our Sybarite meal of raw meat, an Indian next to me uttered the usual Ugh , (by which they express the presentation of any new ob- ject to their eyes,) and pointed to an antelope which was galloping along the side of a small rising ground oppo- site to us, at a distance much beyond the ordinary rifle- range for so small an object; the other Indians also looked at it, and I caught up my rifle which lay at my side ; they all shook their heads and said, it was “ no use ; it was too far for the white chief’s gun.” THE BOW AND ARROW. 255 I know not what strange presentiment inspired me with confidence, but I told them quietly it was quite easy — I would shoot.” I stepped out, and put up the highest sight of my rifle, so as to give my ball sufficient elevation, and taking an aim rather hasty than careful, I pulled the trigger. Much more to my own astonishment than theirs, my ball went through both the hind-quarters of the antelope. Shouts of admiration and surprise were raised by the savages, who ran to secure the little prize; but I pretended that it w r as a mere matter of course, said nothing, laid down my rifle, and continued my meal. This is one of the most extraordinary chance shots that I ever made, (as I do not pretend to any great skill with the rifle ;) l measured the distance by stepping it soon af- terward, and made it two hundred and ten yards ; which is certainly a long shot, when it is considered that the animal is not much larger than a greyhound, and was running at speed. I w 7 as much amused for the next hour, by seeing the " sly glances which the Indians stole from time to time at me and my short rifle ; then they would look at each other with an expression which seemed to say, “ we had belter keep clear of that man and his gun 1” While we were discussing this uncouth meal, some of the hunters, who had obtained the best start, and who were well- mounted, came up with the large herd, and killed about two hundred. And here I may remark, that the bow and arrow is beyond all question the most effective weapon for killing buffalo ; it would be so even in the hands of an indifferent archer, because it is only neces- sary to have a well-trained horse, who is sufficiently fleet to overtake the game, but who will not pass them, so as to incur the danger of their formidable horns ; the hunter may then gallop up behind them, keeping always on their right flank, so as to have the free use of his bow, and when within five or six yards, shoot one or two arrows into the loins in the oblique direction, which the relative position of the parties renders easy and almost unavoidable. Even, if, as I before said, the archer be an indifferent one, and the arrows only enter four or five inches into the flank, every motion that the 256 VALUE OF THE BUFFALO poor animal makes brings some new portion of his wounded interior in contact with the sharp arrow-head, and he soon seeks relief in standing still, when he is either left to a slow and lingering death, or becomes an easier mark for a deliberate aim. But with the Paw- nees, at least among the braves and warriors, it is very rare that only a few inches of the arrow enter; on the contrary, unless it strike full upon a rib-bone, it generally penetrates two-thirds of its length, and is often buried up to the feathers ; indeed, I have seen the greater part ol the feathers buried also, and have been assured by many, both Indians and white traders, that they have frequently known an arrow to be sent clean through a buffalo, and to stick into the ground ; this last I never saw, but I can believe it. In shooting these animals with ball the risk is much greater, for when wounded they feel less pain in motion than in remaining still ; and, therefore, they gallop either away from, or in pursuit of, the hunter, until they receive the mortal shot. I cannot convey any just impression of the total dependence of the remote western tribes on buffalo, for their very existence, without giving a sketch of the vari- ous purposes for which that animal is, by their ingenuity, rendered available. First, its flesh is their principal, sometimes their only, food ; eaten fresh on the prairies during their hunt, and dried, in their winter villages* Secondly, the skin is put to various uses ; it forms the material of their lodges, of their bales for packing the meat, of their bed by ni^ht, and their clothing by day ; the coarser parts they make into saddles, or cut into lar- yettes or halters; and more than all, it is now their chief article of trade with the whites, and thus is the source whence they must derive blankets, knives, beads, and every other produce of civilization. Thirdly, they use the sinews as strings to their bows, and the smaller fibres instead of twine or thread ; the brains serve to soften and dress the skins, while (as is elsewhere noted in this journal) the hoof, at. the end of the shank-bone, is made to answer the purpose of a mallet. Fourthly, the bones are not less useful ; some of them being service- TO THE WESTERN TRIBES. 257 able as scrapers , or coarse chisels * others are pointed, and used with the finer fibres as needle and thread ; and the ribs, strengthened by some of the stronger fibres, are made to furnish the bow with which other buffalo are to be destroyed; this last is the triumph of Indian ingenuity. The first bow that I saw constructed in this manner caused so much surprise and admiration, that I offered nearly the value of a horse for it, but was re- fused.! When I add to the foregoing particulars, that on the barren prairies the Indians frequently depend upon the buffalo for their fuel, and on its bladder for the means of carrying water, it will not be denied that the animal is essential to their existence ; and where the buffalo is exterminated, the Indians of the prairies must perish. On this same afternoon, a trifling accident went very near to mar my sports for the future, besides abridging my means of personal defence. I was riding at full speed, down a steep hill, after a fat young bull, that was only one hundred yards a-head, and as my horse was both awkward and weary, I had slung my rifle by a leathern belt across my shoulders, in order to have both my hands at liberty to guide and support him. In spite of these precautions, he put one of his fore-feet into a hole and fell head over heels. I rolled some yards far- ther than the horse, and was not sorry on getting up to find that, with the exception of a few slight bruises, my * The classical reader will be interested in being reminded of the singular resemblance which the details of Indian customs bear to those of the Scythians, as described by Herodotus, who notices the “ scraping the flesh from the skin of the ox with an instrument formed from his rib;" and also the method of “scalping their enemies, and wearing the scalp-locks attached to their dress or horses’ bits, he that possessed the most being esteemed the bravest warrior every word of which description is strictly applicable to the Missouri Indians. See “ Herod. Melpomene,” cap. 61 — 64. i I am not aware that ancient history affords any instance of the construction of a bow from the ribs of an animal, but the horns were sometimes applied to that purpose. The classical reader is referred to Virg. Eclog. x. v. ; ^Eneid. xi. v. 773 ; Ovid’s Met. v. 383 ; Horn. Iliad, 6. v. 105 ; and Lycoph. Cassandra, v. 564. The habit of strengthen- ing wooden bows with the fibres of animals has been observed among the Esquimaux. See “ Ellis’s Voyage to Hudson’s Bay,” p. 138. At a later period of my stay in the western country I procured a bow similar to the one described in the text, which is still in my possession. Y* 258 AN ACCIDENT. limbs were all entire ; but my rifle had disappeared, and I was almost afraid to look for it, knowing the extreme probability of my finding it broken in half, or otherwise irreparably damaged. However, I found it lying on the ground not far from me; the only injury it had sustained was the loss of the screws and rivets which had held the sling-belt, and which had been broken off by the shock of my fall. Altogether I came off much better than I expected, and returned at a sober pace to the encamp- ment, neither I nor my steed being in good plight for any more hunting on that evening. After supping heartily on buffalo meat, ( roasted not raw,) I trimmed my pencil, and wrote the foregoing half-dozen pages of journal, putting to myself the query, “When I get back to Fort Leavenworth (if I ever do get back there), will they be legible, after the rubbing, wetting, and other annoyances, to which they are con- stantly liable ?” On the 3d of August I strolled out with my rifle to examine one of the most extraordinary objects* of cu- riosity which I had seen in the western prairies, and which was only two miles from our camp. I regret on this, as on many other occasions, that mv ignorance of geology and mineralogy renders me unable to give a satisfactory description of this spot. From the centre of the plain there rises an abrupt and precipitous range of what ap- pears at first sight to be rock, but which, on nearer examination, proves to be a soft crumbling argillaceous substance, intersected by strata of lime and shells. Along the base of these heights are scattered a vast profusion of stones, much darker in colour than the hill from which they have evidently fallen. They are of all forms and sizes, some as large as a thirty-tw r o pound shot, and others no larger than a child’s marble ; they are generally round or oval, but I observed many irregular shapes among them. They seemed to me as if the principal ingredient in their composition w>as iron, and their surface is entirely covered by small, pointed, and regular projections, like the crystallizations in Derby and other spar specimens. I determined to carry home (if permitted to carry any - EXTRAORDINARY SPOT. 259 thins: home) a few of the more moderate sized, and to submit them to the examination of some geologist.* The heights themselves bear every evidence of hav- ing projected much farther than they now do into the plain ; and the soft friable substance of which they are composed, renders them liable to be acted upon by the elements, especially water or melting snow. Indeed they wear away so fast, that the Indians assured me they vary in form, and in fact recede in some places several feet in the course of every four or five years ; conse- quently there remain, standing in front of them, huge masses of the same formation as the cliffs themselves, which look like the gigantic columns of some mighty though ruined portico. They are of various dimensions in diameter, but generally sixty or seventy feet in height ; the Indians told me that a few years ago they were much higher, and were crowned with buffalo horns, dedicated to the Great Spirit.* Among these huge broken pillars and in the crevices of the main cliff, the “ temple-loving martlet” “ Hath made his pendent bed and procreant cradle,” and plays around them, amid a swarm of twittering and wheeling companions, as numerous as those which I have seen on a summer evening on the banks of the Thames. But even here the winged emigrant is beset by dangers, almost as fatal as those which threaten him in those crowded haunts where the mischievous school- boy practises on him his maiden fowling-piece ; for I found a regiment of Indian boys climbing like monkeys among the recesses of the precipice for nests and eggs ; while oihers let fly their bird-bolt at any unfortunate mar- tin who ventured to alight or rest near his assaulted home. This picturesque and jagged outline of hills only * Some of them are round and smooth as grape shot, and the specific gravity of all indicates the quantity of iron which they contain. The fatigues and accidents of my return-journey prevented my carrying any of these specimens back to the United States. * Similar offerings to the Great Spirit, or to the Medicine, are occa- sionally met with in various parts of the region between the United States’ frontier and the Rocky Mountains. 260 MY LIBRARY. requires the background of a dark lurid cloud ; and, if viewed from a distance, it will need but little stretch of the imagination to conceive it to be a magnificent castle, fit for the residence of the proudest monarch on earth. When I returned to camp, and found all the squaws busy in cutting up and spreading the meat to dry, I sat down in the lodge, and whiled away an hour in reading. This occupation, whenever I found time to indulge in it, was evidently considered by the Indians my “ great medicine for they saw how completely it absorbed my attention for the time. Frequently my brother, the son of iSa-nf-tsa-rish, would come and look over my shoul- der, and glance his eyes from my face to the book, with a mingled expression of curiosity and surprise. I tried to explain to him that it “ talked to me, and told me of many things past, and many far away.” Then he would take it up, and turn it round and round, looking steadfastly at the page ; but he said he could hear nothing and see no- thing. I explained to lum that, my pocket Bible was in- deed my “great medicine,” for it was the “talk of the Great Spirit.” To this he would listen with much gravi- ty ; but, alas ! I could not pursue the subject, for when- ever I attempted to get beyond objects presented to the senses, my stock both of language and signs was ex- hausted. My library, on this excursion, was very rich : it consisted of four volumes, all of pocket size — the Bible, Sophocles, the first half of the Odyssey, and Mil- ton. August 4th. — While the men were employed in mending, new-heading, and feathering their arrow’s, and others had been sent out to observe the motions of the buffalo, the women continued their labours in preparing the skins and meat for packing. I again strolled out with my rifle, alone, to the abrupt banks aboveinention- ed, in order that I might indulge freely in the sweet thoughts of home which this day suggested — this day which gave birth to one of the most exemplary parents that ever lived, and w'hich also consummated a union, the W’hole course of which has been marked by peace, mu- tual confidence, and inviolate affection. Wrapped in these musings, I rambled a mile or tw r o HERD OF BUFFALO. l 261 beyond the cliffs, and found myself in the strangest formation of ground which I had yet seen : it was a con- tinuation of waves, like the Atlantic when angry. These ravines are from thirty to fifty feet deep, and the same in width, and they display the same kind of gritty friable substratum as the cliffs. They are evidently water- courses after heavy rains or the melting of snow, and pro- bably change yearly their breadth, depth, and relative po- sition. Riding, or even walking fast, over this portion of country, would be impossible. While examining this remarkable scene, I observed a small herd of eight or ten buffalo, who had retired from the chase of yesterday to conceal themselves in this natural fastness. Seeing through my telescope that there was no cow among them, 1 did not want to kill ; but was curious to see how they could get out of the dilemma in which they had placed themselves. Accord- ingly, I crept towards them, and, appearing suddenly and not far off, gave a shout, and pretended to run on them. They started at full speed ; and reckless of the broken ravines and ridges, they tumbled, rolled, and scrambled along, with an activity of which I did not be- lieve them capable, snorting and raising clouds of dust that marked to a great distance their headlong course. After watching them till they were out of sight, I return- ed to the encampment, which I reached early in the after- noon. 262 CAMP MOVED. CHAPTER XIX. Camp moved. — Medicine Council. — Preparation for Hunting. — Mar- tial Appearance of the Chief — his Costume. — The Author's Hunt- ing-Dress. — Conversation with the Chief — Equipment of the War- riors. — Forced March. — Attack the Herds. — Dangerous Conflict. — Sorry Steed. — Unhorsed Indian — A young Bull shot. — A Hunter’s Meal. — Suspicious Intruders. — Perplexing Situation. — A Friend in Need. — Return to the Camp. August 5. — Moved our camp before four in the morning, and without breakfast ; an arrangement pecu- liarly unpleasant to me, inasmuch as I had gone dinner- less and supperless to bed on the preceding evening. We rode eight or nine miles, and then received intelligence from the scouts that there were several large herds in the neighbourhood. The chiefs accordingly ordered a halt of the tents, women, children, and baggage ; and having held a great medicine council, at which I attend- ed, and at which it was formally announced that the Great Spirit was favourable, it was determined that there was to be a grand chnsse. Accordingly, the chiefs, war- riors, and braves sallied forth, accompanied by what we should call, in the highlands, gillies; that is, younger and inferior Indians, who lead a spare horse, and either give it to their lord when his own is tired, or cut up and car- ry home the victims of his bow and arrow. This was the most magnificent preparation for hunting that I had yet seen. We marched in three parallel lines; the chief of the Grand Pawnees occupying the front of the centre, from whence he issued, from time to lime, the requisite orders. He was surrounded by a select body of the principal warriors and medicine-men. With the latter he pretended to consult frequently; and the whole line was halted until their consultation was ended, when it was immediately communicated from front to rear by running criers, who shouted in the true loud na- sal tone of a village bellman. Not a man was allowed MARTIAL APPEARANCE OF THE CHIEF. 263 lo leave the ranks ; and the discipline seemed as strict as among regular troops on a march. Soon the group surrounding the great chief advanced a little in front of the main body, and I attached myself to it for two rea- sons ; first, I wished to see, and, if possible, to under- stand, the arrangements made for the chase ; and, se- condly, I was anxious to ride by the great chief, and to endeavour, by making him such civil speeches as my limited knowledge of his language, assisted by signs, would permit, to do away the grudge which this mali- cious, treacherous, and vindictive man seemed to bear me. When I approached, he separated himself from his re- tinue, whom he did not wish to have within earshot of our conversation, and rode slowly toward me. I could not help being struck by his grotesque, yet martial ap- pearance, which I will endeavour lo describe. He was mounted on a light dun or cream-coloured sleed, whose long mane and frontlock, wild fiery eye, and light active form, showed it to be a child of the Western wilderness. Seated in a Mexican peak-saddle, covered with a wolf- skin, he seemed a part of the animal which he bestrode ; so naturally and firmly were the muscular thighs, which his singular dress allowed to be visible, attached to the horse’s side. On his head he wore a kind of turban, made from a red-silk shawl, from beneath which his small, sly, rest- less eyes peered with a keen malicious expression ; but the most remarkable feature in his unprepossessing coun- tenance was the mouth which, without being large or un- derjawed, was strongly indicative of many of the most prevalent and dangerous vices of the Indian character. No man of ordinary penetration could look at him without seeing sensuality, falsehood, and the more dark and re- vengeful passions, stamped legibly on his countenance.* On his legs he wore the usual deer-skin leggins, and on * This chief s character, which I here drew, partly from slight observa- tion, partly from the information of others, proved afterward to answer ex- actly to my description. His son, Pae-tae-lae-cha’rd, with whom my companion V lodged, was an exact counterpart and copy of him, except that, in personal proportions and strength, he had greatly the advantage over his father. §64 MARtlAL APPEARANCE OF THE CHIEF. his feet braided moccasins, over which were buckled a pair of huge old-fashioned Spanish gilt spurs. In one hand he carried a light single-barrelled fowling-piece. His girdle, which was another red-silk shawl, supported a long hunting-knife. In his left hand he held the reins of a heavy and highly ornamented Spanish bridle, with a curved bit, long enough to break the jaw of any horse that should venture to pull against it, and which, from the gilt stars, chains, and buckles which adorned it, seemed to have belonged to the same cavallero of the seventeenth century as the spurs which I before men- tioned. All this portion of the chief’s costume was picturesque and in character, but that upon which he chiefly prided himself threw an air of ridicule over the whole (alas ! such a failing is to be found among white as well as red men) — I mean, a common, ill-made, cloth coat, with brass buttons, which had been brought out from Fort Leaven- worth by the deputation with whom I had travelled. A lad beside him cairied his bow and arrows, in the use of which his dexterity is almost unequalled, and on which he relied for victory, whether over biped or quadruped foes ; the gun which he carried being used, like his coat, for show, not use, and both cast away when the chase- signal or the war-cry was given. Such was the chief to whom I now doffed my hat with the usual salutation. We must have been an excellent pair , if he could only give to the public as faithful a de- scription of me as I have of him. I will endeavour to do it myself, as impartially as I can. I was mounted on my favourite sorrel ;* and she, at least, could bear com- parison with the chief’s steed in swiftness, strength, and endurance, and was very superior in docility and gentle- ness : on my head was a broad-brimmed low-crowned hat, which, from having often performed the double of- fice of pillow and night-cap by night, and of umbrella by day, was almost indescribable in respect to form ; a blue shirt, and a black velveteen shooting-jacket with enor- mous pockets, stuffed full of a strange miscellany of re- in England called roan. CONVERSATION WITH THE CHIEF. 265 quisites, covered my upper man ; I wore neither neck- cloth, braces, nor waistcoat; round my waist was a strong leather belt, in which were stuck my hunting- knife, and a brace of pistols in front, and at the side, a short heavy iron-handled cut-and-tnrust sword, such as is sometimes used in Germany in a boar-hunt, and nearly resembling the old Roman sword ; my nether extremi- ties were protected by a pair of stout corderoy breeches and buckskin leggins, all fitting close to the leg; and in my right hand was my faithful double-barrelled rifle. I ought to add, that my visage was tanned nearly of an In- dian colour, and was ornamented or disfigured by a pair of long mustaches. Such were the two persons who now met to hold con- ference between the Pawnee lines. I saw at once that the chief was vexed and displeased > so, after two or three brief remarks respecting the fineness of the day, and the abundant marks of buffalo in the prairie, I held my peace, and waited for him to break the ice after his own fashion. It was not long before he did so, by abruptly remarking, “ It is not good that the Neshada-ta- ka (the white chief) does not visit the lodge of the grand chief.” I told him, as well as I could, that 1 had travel- led with Sa-ni-tsa-rish from the white men’s country — that he. was good to me — that he was my father, and that it would not be good for me to leave his lodge. He re- turned to the charge more warmly, saying, “that I was a great white chief, and a friend of his grandfather, (mean- ing the President of the United States.) That I came to smoke the pipe and to hunt with the Pawnees, and that he was the great chief, and that it was an insult to him not to live in his lodge.” I repeated again that “ I had travelled many days with Sa-ni-tsa-rish before I had seen him — that my companion V had come with his son, Pa®-tae-la®-cha’rd, and therefore remained with him ; and that, after eating and sleeping so long in the lodges of our hosts, it would not be right to leave them.” Unfortunately, 1 here touched upon another cord which jarred upon the chiefs feelings, by alluding to his son, with whomfas I afterward learned, he was by no means upon a friendly footing. My explanation only extracted Vol. I. — Z 266 EQUIPMENT OF WARRIORS. an “ ugh and he soon left me, with a countenance at least as dark and ill-humoured as when he joined me. When he galloped again to the head of his retinue, I could not help admiring the picturesque and warlike ap- pearance of the warriors around him. Some of these were dressed in buffalo-robes, gorgeously painted ; two or three of the principal warriors (who had belonged to the deputation sent to Fort Leavenworth) had been pre- sented with common English round hats ; these they had stuck on their heads, still enveloped in the brown paper and string in which they had been wrapt up in the store, and which they considered “great medicine : v it was scarcely possible to restrain a smile on seeing a dig- nified Indian thus accoutred. Others wore blankets, blue or white, which hung in negligent folds, or floated gracefully in the wind, according to the speed at which the rider moved ; others again, of the younger chiefs, were attired in the extreme of Pawnee dandyism, in scar- let cloth, with beads on their arms and necks, and all their bridles glittering and jingling with ornaments ; while others remained entirely naked, displaying as they rode the faultless proportion of their limbs, and, to the eye of taste, were more gloriously equipped, as they thus came from the hand of the Creator, than their mot- ley and fantastic biethren, whom I have before described. These naked hunters had all a belt round the waist, from which hung a small cloth, or kerchief, and in the folds of the belt were concealed their knife, tobacco, tinder, and flint, and the other trifles which an Indian always has with him. On their back was the quiver, every arrow in which was carefully examined and new- ly-pointed ;* in their right hand the bow, and in their left hand the simple thong or laryetie, which was used instead of a bridle ; some had saddles, but the greater part of them only interposed a strip of buffalo’s hide be- tween the person and the horse. * It is well known to all travellers who have visited the Indians of the West, that they have two kinds of arrows, one for hunting, the other for war. The former has a head formed like the point of an ordinary lance, or sometimes an isosceles triangle, with a very narrow base ; the latter is barbed like the point of a fish-hook, obviously that a wounded enemy may not be able to extract it. FORCED MARCH. 267 We rode many miles in this manner, making occasional halts, when the great chief received the reports of the scouts ; and, according to their tenour, sent his procla- mations along the line. At length, orders were given to advance at a gallop, but to keep our ranks, none being allowed to go in front of the chiefs, or beyond a certain distance on the flanks, under pain of a severe flogging ; a penalty which the soldiers are by no means remiss in inflicting.* The buffalo were still at a distance, and we had as yet seen none ; but we continued our rapid march for above an hour : and here I could not but admire the activity and endurance of these savage hunters : the day was intolerably hot, and there was scarcely a breath of air to temper the rays of a burning sun. It was now two or three o’clock ; we had been in the saddle, without rest or food, since four in the morning, and were making a forced march, which kept the horses at a short canter, or round trot, of eight miles an hour ; yet did numbers of these Pawnees vault off their horses, and run by the side of them, in order that they might be fresh and ready as soon as the buffalo should be in sight. My good steed showed some signs of weariness and exhaus- tion from the extreme heat ; and as 1 was determined to keep her in order for what might befall me on my return, I dismounted, very reluctantly, and mounted a small half-broke Indian horse, which my old chief sometimes lent to me. This carefulness of my roan nearly cost me my life, as will soon appear. At length a momentary halt was given, and a hurried proclamation issued, that the “ men must be ready.” We were drawn up on the side of a hill, below which was a valley of no great depth, and on the other side another hill, intersected by many ravines, down each of which a black living torrent was pouring into the valley. In fact, a large body of Indians had been sent round 1o head them ; a manoeuvre which they had suc- cessfully executed, and they were already plying their fatal arrows among the rear herds. A dreadful shout, * On one occasion a younger son of Sa-ni tsa rish received a severe whipping for hunting, and bringing us some buffalo meat, contrary to the orders of the day. 268 ATTACK THE HERDS. or yell was now raised, and we rushed down to meet them, every man striving to be the first to reach the devo- ted band. As soon as they became aware of these new foes in their front, they seemed to forget all their usual habits of following a particular track or leader, and gal- lopped in any direction to which chance or terror drove them. It was, indeed, one of the most picturesque sights I ever beheld, to see these hairy monsters rushing with headlong speed down the declivities, snorting, bellowing, and regardless of shouts or arrows ; some rolling over lifeless under the shafts of their merciless persecutors ; some standing still, with erect tail, blood- shot eye, and nostrils frothed with blood, waiting in vain for the crafty enemy to approach within reach of their dying rush; and others breaking through all opposition, and studding the most distant part of the landscape with black specks, which gradually diminished, and were at length lost to view. Alas ! I had more leisure for examining this prospect than was altogether agreeable to me as a hunter ; for I was soon aware that the animal on which I was now mounted had neither speed nor strength to carry me among the foremost ranks. The cows are, as I have be- fore remarked, so much more tender at this season, and so much more fleet than the bulls, that they were the chief object of pursuit, and were soon driven, by the best mounted Indians, far beyond my reach. Still I kept gallopping on, in the hope that some fortunate accident might throw me in the way of one which had been over- looked. At length I saw a cow at the distance of some hundred yards. She was running pretty fast, and appa- rently unhurt ; but, on coming up to her, I observed an arrow sticking in her flank. The wound did not seem serious ; but, if I had killed her, I should have been obliged to give her meat and skin up to the fellow who shot that arrow ; so I left her to her fate, and determined to wage war with some of the lords of the buffalo race. Accordingly, I rode toward the first whom Fate threw in my way : and he seemed by no means inclined to hurry his pace, or to change the direction in which he was lazily cantering along. He was indeed a magnifi- DANGEROUS CONFLICT. 269 cent bull, of the very largest size, and had the thickest fell of hair that I had seen in the prairie. When I came within fifty yards on his right flank, I rode on in a paral- lel line, not choosing to trust my small and uncertain horse too near to my dangerous neighbour; but whene- ver I raised my rifle to shoot, the fractious animal jumped and sprang aside, so that it was impossible to take a sure aim. After making several fruitless endeavours to fire from his back, I dismounted, and throwing the bridle over my left arm, took a deliberate aim at the bull as he can- tered past me, at about the same distance of fifty yards. The ball struck a few inches behind the heart, but did not touch it ; one moment he paused, as I thought, about to fall, but it was only to glare his eye fiercely upon me, lash his tail, and then to charge me at full speed. It may be believed that I was not long in jumping on my horse, and burying the spurs in his flanks ; but so wearied or slow was he, that before he got into a gallop, the bull was within a few yards of me. And now began a race which was run with as hearty good will of the contending parties (at least I can an- swer for one of them), as any trial of speed on earth since poor Hector fled round the walls of Troy. It would have been madness to expend my last bullet in a random shot, so I reserved it for a mortal struggle in case my horse and I should be overthrown ; and, in the meantime, urged him with hand, leg, and spur, to his utmost exertions. Indeed, he required little pressing ; for terror lent him wings. Whether any feelings of a similar nature occupied his rider, I do not feel called upon to state, as I am not at confession ; but, for a dis- tance between seventy and a hundred yards, I knew not how the race would terminate. I looked over my right shoulder, and his thundering hoofs, glaring eyes, and nostrils throwing out bloody froth, were close at my horse’s flank. However, I could soon perceive that, from his unwieldy size, and the severe wound I had given him, he was failing in strength ; and, accordingly, pressed my little horse to place me yet farther out of his reach. As soon as he saw that his efforts at revenge had failed, he stopped short, stamped, blew, bellowed, 270 DANGEROUS CONFLICT, and made all the most furious gestures of rage and pain. When I was again about fifty yards from him, I pulled up, and determined to wait two or three minutes, very prudently reflecting, that, in the meantime my horse was recovering breath, while my enemy was bleeding and exhausting himself by empty demonstrations of fury. As soon as I thought my horse ready for a new race, if necessary, I again dismounted, and fired with better aim and effect. The bull staggered a few paces, and rolled in the dust. I was not sorry to see him fall ; for I felt no confi- dence in my horse, and was not by any means sure that the next race, if I had been obliged to run another, would have terminated so fortunately, indeed, I had been guilty of gross imprudence in dismounting so near to him, while his tail had that peculiar curve and elevation which the Indians call “ the mad tail.” I had received warning on the subject, but do not remember whether I have before noted it down, that the buffalo, when gal- lopping in flight, carries his tail like that of ordinary cat- tle ; when wounded, or at bay, he often lashes it, or car- ries it over his back ; but when mad , or in that mood which induces him to attack anything within his reach, he carries it nearly horizontal, with a slight curve in the mid- dle, like some of the lions in coats-of-arms. Such had been the case with my late opponent ; and, with so sorry a steed, I ought to have kept at a more respectful distance. Having given him the coup de grace with my hunting- knife, I fortunately saw two Indians, of inferior rank, with a horse, and, calling to them, told them to cut up and carry the meat to the tent of Sa-ni-tsa-rish, and to keep what they chose for themselves. This latter por- tion of my instructions they obeyed more faithfully than the former ; for they kept it all , and took none to my old chief. In truth, I was not very anxious about it, as the flesh of this veteran was, probably, as coarse and tough as that of a rhinoceros. My nag being now refreshed by half an hour’s rest and grazing, I set off in quest of new adventures, and had not proceeded far before I perceived a dismounted Indian, whose horse was ripped up by a buffalo. I has- A YOUNG BULL SHOT. 27 i lened forward, and killed the savage animal, which was still goring and stamping on its unhappy victim. On approaching the unhorsed cavalier, I recognized my friend lotan, the chief of the Oloes. He knew three words of English, and said, “ Very good ; very good ; thankie.” He then pointed to his thigh, the whole length of which the buffalo’s horn had grazed, without entering, and said in Pawnee, “ Not good ; not good.”* I saw that he was a good deal bruised, and offered him my horse ; but he laughed, and declined it, beginning at the same time to cut up the quarry. One of his Otoe men coming up, I left them together, and proceeded on my way, congratulating myself upon having escaped better than the chief, who lost his horse, and had to walk back to camp. As I trotted over the plain, I began to feel the crav- ings of hunger almost to a painful degree, which is not to be wondered at, as I had been twelve hours in hard exercise, without rest, and had eaten nothing on the pre- ceding day. After riding a few miles farther, I saw 7 a small herd : upon giving chase, a young bull fell behind the rest, being so fat that he could not keep up with them. After running them a considerable distance, we came to a very narrow steep ravine ; and as I saw the leaders cross directly up the opposite side, I knew that the fat gentleman would follow them as well as he w 7 as able. Accordingly, I dismounted, examined my caps, and prepared for a comfortable shot. When all the rest had disappeared over the opposite brow, he toiled lazily up the ascent. As soon as he was exactly in the place where I wished him to be, and not more than forty yards off, I fired. He turned instantly, gave me a fierce look, and began to run straight toward me : but the ball had been too true ; he required no second, and rolled dead into the ravine below 7 . I now hobbled my horse, took off my jacket, tucked up my sleeves, drew my knife, and prepared to make my coup d'essai as a butcher. . Previously to eating my sa- vage and solitary meal, I looked around. There was not a human being in sight to assist me in turning over the *Ku-ko6-ra-h6, a word compounded of k&-ki, ‘ not,’ and too-ra-he, ‘good/ 272 a hunter’s meal. body, which is hard work for two ordinary men, but im- possible for one : so I was obliged to content myself with skinning only one side. My knife was not very sharp, and those only who have seen and proved the skin of this hairy monster can judge of the labour of the task. After an hour’s unremitting work, I succeeded, and then went on to open the body. Without much dif- ficulty I got at the liver, and began to eat, certainly more like a wolf, or Indian, than a Christian man. After de- vouring several large morsels, I saw a hunter coming toward me at full speed. He had been unsuccessful, and was hungry. I was nearly choked with thirst, and, as soon as he arrived, made him signs, that if he would fetch me water, I would give him as much to eat as he chose. He nodded assent. We then took out the blad- der of the buffalo ; I told him to wash it well, and bring it back full of clear water. He went off at a gallop, and, in about a quarter of an hour, came back, having executed his commission. I cannot say that the water was quite crystal ; but I never enjoyed a more delicious meal than this raw liver, and the water, such as it was. The Indian, also, showed me two or three other morsels, which I found excellent ; and I strongly recommend to any gentleman who may ever find himself similarly situ- ated, to break a bone, and suck the marrow.* When he had satisfied his hunger, my new ally made me signs that he was on an errand for one of the chiefs, and must hasten away. Having told him that he might go, and seen him depart, I turned again to my dissecting operations ; but, ere long, was once more interrupted by the arrival on the spot of two young men, mounted. I did not know either of them ; neither did I much like their appearance. I strongly suspect that they belong- ed to the Republique Band, who are always the most mischievous and dangerous Indians in the nation. As we were so far remote from all observation, I thought it better to place* my rifle (in which there was * I hope the indulgent reader will remember that I had eaten nothing for forty-eight hours, and that the cravings of hunger had rendered me almost mad. I have since shuddered at the wolfish sensations which I remember to have experienced that day. PERPLEXING SITUATION. 273 one ball), in a position where I could readily snatch it up ; and, with a loaded pistol in my belt, I stooped over the buffalo, as if intent upon it, but actually watching them. When they came up, and had given the usual salutation, they examined the meat, said it was very good, and offered to help me in cutting it up, if I would make them a present. This seasonable assistance was not to be refused ; so I told them, if they would do so, and assist me to place it on my hoise, I would give one of them a knife, and the other, one or two papers of rouge. They seemed satisfied, and proceeded to cut away industriously for a few minutes ; and I must confess with skill so superior to mine, that they did more in that time than 1 could do in half an hour. However, they soon stopped ; and one said he must have my knife, the other that he wanted a trifle that was hanging by a silk chain round my neck. I told them no, — they should have what I originally promised. They seemed very angry at this, and said they would cut no more. I told them, “ it was very good, they might ride on.” One then approached, and was proceeding to place on his horse the meat that he and his companion had cut, while the latter sneaked round the buffalo, and began to paw and handle the butt-end of the rifle. I did not like the pro- ceedings of these two ill-looking rascals, nor the glances which they exchanged with each other, and not wishing to trust them too far, took up my rifle, and told them gravely that the meat was mine, and they should not take it away, but if they were willing to cut it up, that I would make them the presents I had promised. They said very angrily they would cut no more. I then sat down quietly by the buffalo, examined the cap of my pistol, and told them they had better go to the camp ; they muttered a few' words together, which I did not under- stand, and rode off. I then collected all the meat which I and they had cut, and stripping the hide into thongs, strung the masses of flesh, amounting to about a hundred weight, upon them, in the usual Indian fashion, including the tongue, heart, fat, and w r hat remained of the liver. I had not my com- 274 PERPLEXING SITUATION. pass with me, and after the circles and deviations which I had made in the course of the chase, it was by no means easy to find either the distance or direction of the camp, especially as ihe great chief had sent back messengers after the hunt began, ordering them to move their en- campment to the banks of some streamlet indicated to them, but totally unknown to me. However, I knew it must be somewhere between north and east ; I had watch- ed the Indians who had left me; and putting these two sources of information together, I made up my mind as to the course I would steer, and having un-hobbled my horse, proceeded to sling the meat over his back. He stood perfectly quiet till I had put on all but the last and heaviest sling of flesh, this required both my hands, and just as I threw it over his back, the restive animal reared up, struck me on the head, knocked me down, and gallopped off. Not being hurt, I jumped up, and saw him kicking, leaping, and flinging, till he had scattered all my hard-earned meat over the prairie, then he cantered leisurely down the valley after the Indians who had left me. Though he was not an Eclipse, I could not hope to overtake him on foot ; so I walked about, and collected together all the disjecta membra which had al- ready cost me so much trouble, and forming them into a heap, sat down to ruminate. My case seemed this. The camp was moved I knew not whither, but certainly was at some distance. I was alone, and out of hail of all assistance ; nay, I could see the two scoundrels who had left me, driving my horse far away, instead of endeavouring to catch him for me, and I made an internal resolution to reward them as they deserved, if ever they gave me an opportunity ; I had also before me the prospect of a long walk in oppressively hot weather, added to the uncertainty of finding the camp, whither I was obliged to devise some means of car- rying my rifle, my pistols, my large thick shooting-jacket, and my hundred weight of meat. From this prospect I turned to my actual state, sitting, as I was, on the ground, with my hands, arms, and face saturated and glued w r ith blood ; it was indeed, too much, and I burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. I then A FRIEND IN NEED. 275 began to think of the strange and varied notions of plea- sure entertained by different men, and could not help questioning whether my Pawnee trip, voluntarily incur- red, with its accompaniments, did not render the sanity of my mind a matter of some doubt. My musings were interrupted by seeing an Indian ap- pear on the opposite heights, and ride along them to- ward the camp. I made signals, and shouted for him to come toward me ; he did so ; and, on his near ap- proach, I saw that his horse was laden with meat, and that he was a fellow of a fine, open, bold expression of countenance. I told him my tale in brief ; and when I described to him how the two young men had frightened away instead of catching and restoring my horse, he frowned and said, they were “ bad men and with- out another word, threw all the meal from his horse, and galloped off in pursuit. I wondered how he had so readily understood my broken Pawnee; but I suppose that in this, as in every other case, distress and earnest- ness produced eloquence ! In half an hour he returned, bringing with him my truant steed. I thanked him by gestures , (for in their language there is no word for “ thank you,”) but he seemed to un- derstand me, for he smiled and appeared in very good humour. I assisted him to load his horse, and he per- formed the same office for me ; as both steeds were weary, I only added the weight of my jacket to the meat, threw the bridle on my arm, shouldered my rifle, and walked by the side of my good-natured companion ; here I amused myself by prosecuting my studies in his language. After we had walked four or five miles, we overtook an Indian crawling along by the side of his horse, at a pace which showed one or both to be nearly disabled. On coming close to them we found that they had been both overthrown by a bull ; the man had escaped with a few severe bruises, but the poor animal had two deep gashes in his hams into which I could have thrust my hands. I endeavoured to persuade him to let me put it out of pain ; but. he insisted upon dragging it on towards the camp, which, however, it never reached. 276 RETURN TO THE CAMP. As my companion had not asked for any reward for his trouble or assistance, I was the more anxious to give him one, and, having nothing about me, I desired him as soon as we should reach the camp to come to my lodge, and I would give him some tobacco, rouge, &c. He said, it was “ very good, but he could not come to night, as his tent was far, but he would come in the morning,” After three hours’ brisk walking we came in sight of the fires, shook hands and parted, as his lodge was to the east, and I knew mine must be to the west of the en- campment. When I arrived before Sa-m-tsa-rish’s lodge with my nag thus laden, the chief’s wives and daughters came out to look after the horse and meat ; and while they were unloading, I walked in and sat down with the dig- nified gravity of a mandarin. This was easier to assume than it was to maintain, for the squaws interchanged most comic glances in silence while they unpacked the meat, and saw the uncouth and strange nature of the white chief’s butchery ; for, as I had been unable to cut up the whole animal, I had merely picked out the largest masses of solid meat and fat, the forms and shapes of which were of the most fantastic and irregular descrip- tion. I hope they thought it was done according to the white man’s medicine ; at all events, it would tend to raise me in their estimation, to see that I could bring home, as well as krll, buffalo meat. MEDICINE CEREMONIES. 277 CHAPTER XX. Medicine Ceremonies. — Instance of ungovernable Temper and Cruelty in a young Indian. — Indian Horse-dealers. — Bargaining anecdotes. — Hiring a Guide. — Knavery of the Great Chief. — Hunting Party of Delawares and Shawnees. — Conversation with them. — Dislike of the Pawnees to their new Guests. — Pride of the Delawares. — Unequal Conflict. — Skilful Retreat. — Delaware and Shawnee Languages. — Departure of the Visiters. I learned that in the hunt already described, a good many Indians had been bruised or wounded, and several horses killed. Among those who were hurt, was a chief of some distinction ; he had a few ribs and one of his arms broken. The setting of this last, together with the completion of his wound-dressing, was to be accompa- nied with much ceretnony, so I determined to be a spec- tator. I went accordingly to his lodge, where a great crowd was already assembled, and with some difficulty made my way through to the inner circle. Not being quite sure that I was permitted to see these mysteries, and being fully aware of the danger of breaking, even unintentionally, any of their medicine-rules, I kept myself as quiet and unobserved as possible. Before the lodge, and in the centre of the semicircle, sat, or rather reclined, the wounded man, supported by one or two packs of skins, and on each side of him a row of his kindred ; the elder warriors occupied the front, the younger ihe second places, and behind them, close to the lodge, were the boys, squaws, &c. A profound silence was observed ; and when all the medicine-men and relatives had arrived and taken their seats, a great medicine-pipe was brought and passed round, with the usual ceremonial observances of a certain number of whiffs to the Earth, the Buffalo Spirit, and the (Hreat Spirit; the pipe was not handed to the wounded man, probably because he was supposed to be for the time under the influence of a bad spirit, and there- Vol. I. — Aa. 278 .. CRUELTY. fore not entitled to the privileges of the medicine. When this smoking ceremony was concluded, three or four of the doctors or conjurors, and a few of ihe great medicine- men, assembled round him ; the former proceeded to feel his side and apply some remedy to it ; while one of them set the arm, and bound it very strongly round with leather and thongs. During this operation, the medi- cine-men stooped over him, and went through sundry mummeries which I could not accurately distinguish. As soon as the bandages and dressings were completed, they began a medicine-dance around him. At first the movement was slow, and accompanied by the low ordi- nary chant ; but gradually both acquired violence and rapidity, till at length they reached the height of fury and frenzy. They swung their tomahawks round the head of the wounded man, rushed upon him with the most dreadful yells, shook the weapons violently in his face, jumped repeatedly over him, pretending each time to give him the fatal blow, then checking it as it descended ; and, while once or twice I saw them push and kick his limbs, one of the most excited siruck him several very severe blows on the breast. On inquiry, I learned that all these gesticulations were intended to threaten and banish the i'ivil Spirit, which was supposed to have possessed him. While this was going on, a complete silence reigned throughout the crowd, none being permitted to dance or yell except those actually engaged in the medicine- ceremonies. On the morning of the 6th we moved our camp a few miles southward, and could now see, at a great distance, the verdant fringe of timber which marked the course of the upper waters of the Arkansas. Here I had an op- portunity of remarking the strange materials of which an Indian’s temper is composed, and which it is necessary for a white man resident among them, who has any re- gard for his life, to watch and study carefully. The lodges were all packed, the curved poles trailing behind the mules, and the busy squaws adjusting, with their usual chattering, scolding, and active bustle, the loads of the different animals, when one of the younger lads brought to the son of Sa-m-tsa-rish his favourite buffalo CRUELTY. 279 horse, which he was going to ride (contrary to custom) on the march. I have before described this young man as a great Pawnee dandy ; we had hunted antelope and elk several limes together, and I always considered him very quiet and good-tempered; he used to call me his brother; and while we were going to or returning from a hunt, would teach me Pawnee words and phrases. He was now holding in his hand a kind of Mexican bridle, which he wished to put over the head of his horse ; but the latter, a fine half-broke animal, backed, and^would not let him approach. With the foolish violence common among Indians on such occasions, he stood directly before it hauling hard upon the Iaryeite (or halter) : of course, this made the animal pull against him, and back still farther; when, with a sudden movement of rage, he drew his scalp-knife, sprang at the horse like a tiger, and buried the knife in its eye ! The old chief was standing by, looking on with the im- perturbable nerves of an Indian : he neither spoke a word nor moved a muscle, because the young man was grown up, and was among the warriors of the tribe ; but 1 could not resist saying to the former, “ That was not good.” He answered, gravely, “ No.” I then turned to observe the son. As soon as he became sensible of what he had done in a moment of passion, he was vexed and ashamed, but too haughty to show it ; and, walking to a spot about twenty yards’ distant., and throwing his scarlet blanket over his shoulder, he drew himself up to his full height, and there stood a motionless statue. The camp moved on, and long after the last straggler had left the place, I saw him standing in the same attitude and on the same spot. The poor horse was led off by one of the boys ; and, as I saw the heavy drops of blood “ cours- ing each other down his innocent nose,” during all the march of lhat day, while the hanging head, the flapping ears, and the trailing limbs, showed the acuteness of hi3 sufferings, I wished to terminate them by putting a mus- ket-ball through his head ; but it would not have been prudent to ask permission so to do — and I went on my way, sickened with disgust at the ungoverned passions 250 INDIAN HORSE-DEALERS. and cruelty of the young chief. He felt , however, though he would not display them, both sorrow and shame ; for he kept aloof from the band all day, and never afterward alluded to the circumstance. I now began to bargain in earnest for horses where- with to return to the fort ; for we required three or four, and our remaining articles of exchange were scarcely sufficient to procure them. Certainly 1 never, even among horse-dealers, met with such impudent cheats and extortioners aS my Pawnee friends. They knew that I must buy horses, and determined to have their own price. After looking at and rejecting two or three scarecrow animals which were brought for me to examine, one of which was lame, another blind and broken-winded, and another twenty-five years old, I determined to adopt the advice of my old chief, which was to spread out my stores before his lodge, setting apart the exact quantity which J meant to offer for one horse ; and then to send the heralds through the village to cry aloud that the white chief wanted horses, and was willing to trade. I also sent for the half-French interpreter, in case any ex- planation being required ; although perfectly aware that m driving bargains he would take part with the Pawnees, and not with me* Accordingly, a good many were brought for me to inspect. Some I rejected at once, others I jumped upon and rode for one or two hundred yards ; at length I found one which was neither lame, blind, nor very old, and bought it, after much disputing on both sides, for three blankets, and the usual accompa- niments of knives, powder, lead, beads, &c. About this time the great chief came to pay me a visit. 1 gave him some coffee, of which a little of my original stock remained (and of which the Indian agent had also * I have before mentioned that this interpreter was an Indian in tastes, habits, language, and appearance, though he called himself a French Canadian. He had two squaws and a number of children. I know not how many years he had resided among the Pawnees ; but whenever he tried to explain anything respecting them to me in French, he always called them 44 Les Sauvages.” He was known among them by the name of I-sha-pa, which was, I believe, a corruption of La Chapelle. He lived with the Republican Band ; and I rarely saw him, except when I sent for him on some such occasion as the present. BARGAINING ANECDOTE?. 281 sent him some as a present, he being the only Pawnee who ever had such a luxury in his lodge); and having then filled a pipe of Kinnekineck and presented it to him, I waited in silence till he should think fit to explain the object of his visit. At last he abruptly said, “ A-teos ka-hi-te-na a-lusha !” — My father, you want a horse ?” To this polite address from a man forty years my senior, I answered bv a sign of assent : but added, partly in words and partly in signs, that I had not articles suffi- cient, either in number or quality, to make him an equi- valent present for a horse. This I said, because I knew that the old rogue had more blankets, paints, beads, &c., already than ten horses could carry. However, he re- plied that, if I would give him the “ medicine-tube ” hanging round my neck, he would give me a horse for it. This was my favourite pocket-telescope, which I had used in deer-hunting in Scotland and on the Alleghanies, and with which I was unwilling to part, as it was very useful in these extensive prairies for descrying men or buffalo at a distance, But poverty and necessity are stern advisers : besides which, I knew that it was against all rules among Indians to refuse an article which they have directly asked for; so, with as willing and good a grace as I could assume, I undid the belt, and telling him that he was my father and a great chief, and that I felt sure he would give me a horse fit to overtake men or buffalo, I hung the telescope round his neck, and endeavoured to teach him how to lengthen and shorten it in order to get the right focus, and also how to wipe the glasses when they might get dirty. At the same time, I told him not to open it much, for it was “ not good so to do.” He looked for some time at the telescope, and then at a pistol which was stuck in my belt, and seemed' to hesi- tate which he liked best. He said that they were both “good,” and that he would give me a horse for either of them. H id the weapon been my own, and had I been provided with one or two spare pistols, I would certainly have preferred giving him that to giving him my tele- scope ; but it belonged to an officer at Fort Leavenworth, who. had very obligingly lent it to me ; and, beside it, I A A* 282 BARGAINING ANECDOTES. had only a pair of little pistols, sometimes called, in Lon- don slang, “ bull-dogs.” I endeavoured to explain to him that it belonged to another white chief, and that I could not give it aw>ay ; but that my telescope was “greater medicine” (more valuable), and that he was welcome to it. He said, “ It is good and rising up, he left me, with as complacent and satisfied an expression on his countenance as its habilual grim cunning would admit. Soon after he was gone, one of the warriors came and told me he would give me a horse, if I would give him my “ long blanket.” This was, indeed, a severe trial of my affection for my highland plaid, for the* price offered was certainly (considering my present necessities) be- yond the value of the article ; but then, it was my own family tartan — had been my companion and protector in many a rough day, and was a constant and consoling reminiscence of home, so I determined to part with any- thing and everything rather than that. I told him it was my “ medicine-blanket,” and I could not give it away. He left me, not well pleased ; and as he walked off, my old chief shook his head, and, in answer to my inquiry, said briefly, “ He is a bad man, and has no horse :” mean- ing in 01 her words, that he was a rogue, who would have found some means of absconding with my plaid, and who had no horse to give me. Soon after this, while I was still sitting near my packs of goods, like an Israelile in Monmouth-sireet, an elderly chief approached, and signified his wish to trade. Our squaws placed some meat before him, after which I gave him the pipe ; and in the meantime had desired my servant to search my saddle-bags, and to add to the heap of saleable articles everything of every kind beyond what was absolutely necessary for mv covering on my return. A spare shirt, handkerchief, and a waistcoat, were thus drafted ; and, among other things, was a kind of elastic flannel waistcoat, made for wearing next to the skin, and to be drawn over the head, as it was without buttons or any opening in front. It was -too small for me, and altogether so tight and uncomfortable, although elastic, that I had determined to part with it. To this last article my new customer took a great BARGAINING ANECDOTES. 283 fancy ; and he made me describe to him the method of putting it on, and the warmth and comfort of it when on. Be it remembered that he was a very large corpu- lent man, probably weighing sixteen stone ; I knew him to be very good-natured, as I had hunted once with his son ; and, on returning to his lodge, the father had feasted me, chatted with me by signs, and taught me some of that most extraordinary Indian method of communica- tion. He said he should like to try on the jacket ; and as he threw the buffalo robe off his huge shoulders, I could scarcely keep my gravity, when I compared their dimensions with the garment into which we were about to attempt their introduction. However, by dint of great industry and care, we contrived to get him into it. In the body it was a foot too short, and fitted him so close that every thread was stretched to the uttermost ; the sleeves reached a very little way below his elbow. However, he looked upon his arms and person with great complacency, and elicited many smiles from the squaws at the drollery of his attire; but, as the weather was very hot, he soon began to find himself too warm and confined, and he wished to lake it off again. He moved his arms — he pulled the sleeves — he twisted and turned himself in every direction, but in vain. The woollen jacket was an admirable illustration of the Inferno of Dante and Virgil, and of matrimony, as described by many poets — it was easy enough to get into it, sed revo- care grudum was a difficult matter indeed. The old man exerted himself till the drops of perspiration fell from his forehead ; but had I not been there he must either have made some person cut it up, or have sat in it until this minute. For some time I enjoyed this scene with malicious and demure gravity, and then I showed him that he must try and pull it off over his head. A lad who stood by then drew it till it enveloped his nose, eyes, mouth, and ears ; his arms were raised above his head, and for some minutes he remained in that melancholy plight, blinded, choked, and smothered, with his hands rendered useless for the time. He rolled about, sneezing, sputter- ing, and struggling, until all around were convulsed with 284 HIRING A GUIDE. laughter ; arid our squaws shrieked in their ungoverna- ble mirth in a manner that I had never before witnessed. At length I slit a piece of the edge, and released the old fellow from his straight- waistcoat confinement ; he turn- ed it round often in his hands, and made a kind of comic- grave address to it, of which I could only gather a few words. I believe the import of them was, that it would be a “ good creature in the ice-month at the village.” I was so pleased with his good humour, that T gave it to him, and told him to warm his squaw in the ice-month. We afterwards continued our bargain, and I bought a horse of him at a tolerably fair price ; but I was obliged to sell even my own blankets, which I wished to sleep in on my return, and had but a very small stock of pow- der, knives, or trinkets remaining. I now proceeded to hire a guide ; and as our old chief gave me to understand that his younger brother (the same man who had acted as guide on our coming out) would conduct me to the fori, I sent for the interpreter, and, accompanied by him, went to this man’s lodge. I found that he was very poor, having but one wife and only two or three horses ; and though I do not believe that he much relished the office, I made an agreement with him, ac- cording to which, on arriving at the fort, I was to give him a horse and many blankets, — in short a full comple- ment of all the articles necessary to an Indian’s comfort. He was to take another young man with him, who was to assist us to hunt, to catch and pack our horses, and perform the other services requisite on a march. After waiting half the day, and hearing nothing from the great chief about a horse, I sent the Canadian to his lodge to ask for it; when he returned for answer, that he must have both the telescope and pistol before he would let me have a horse; I was highly incensed at the impudent knavery of this chief; bull thought it impru- dent to quarrel with him, as we were so far removed from the protection of any white men, and were in the great- est want of horses, which were necessary to our con- venience, and might be so to our lives, in our passage across an immense wilderness, where we were not un- likely to fall in with, a war-parly of Sioux, Shiennes, HUNTING PARTY. 285 Aricaras, or other wild tribes hostile to the Pawnee escort. Accordingly, I dissembled my anger, and sent him word that when his young man brought ihe horse I would give him the pistol also. About this time I observed a great stir in the camp, and our old chief w r as summoned suddenly to a secret council ; what passed there I know not, but there was a hurried and violent debate ; the decision, however, to which they came was, as I afterwards learned, pacific. Very soon the cause of this excitement became generally known, and the laconic communication “ men are seen,” passed from mouth to mouth. These few words have a stirring and interesting effect in those remote and barren regions ; and the conjectures rapidly succeed each other, “ Who, and what are the comers ? are they friends or enemies ? white or red men ?” On this occasion the doubt was soon solved, for the strangers, who now ap- proached over the prairie, and who had long ago been discovered and announced by the Pawnee scouts, came straight to the lodge of the great chief, and. the signs of peace having been before exchanged and confirmed, they sat down in silence and awaited the meat and the pipe about to be offered to them. They proved to be a hunt- ing party of Delawares and Shawnees, on their way to the Rocky Mountains ; they were all armed with knives and guns, and their dresses were as fantastic as is usual among the half-civilized tribes. All of them wore leggins and moccasins ; but in the clothing of the upper part of the person, each seemed to have followed his own wayward humour ; one wore a hat, another a fur cap, a third a handkerchief wound like a turban ; and a deer-skin hunting-shirt seemed to be the favourite covering for their bodies ; one or two of them could speak a few words of English, and seemed to be known to Iotan, the Otoe chief ; and, by the assist- ance of signs, I could make out that they had come straight from Fort Leavenworth, (which is as I be- fore noticed,) only thirty miles from their villages. They had seen many herds of buffalo, but had hunted only enough to supply themselves with food, as they were in haste to get to the mountains. I asked them if 286 CONVERSATION. there were any late Indian trails, they said a few ; but the Dah-cotah (making the significant Sioux sign*) were going north, I was not sorry to hear this intelligence, for a war-party of Sioux was by no means desirable to meet, while I was accompanied by a feeble Pawnee escort. I asked how many days it had taken them to ride from the fort ; they said “ twenty-five.” Having my compass in my pocket, and being anxious to see how far my idea of the direction of the fort was correct, I asked a young Delaware to point his finger to it ; he did so, and 1 found he agreed exactly with the other Indians whom I had consulted, and I took my bearings accord- ingly- The dislike of the Pawnees for their new guests was but ill-concealed, and that of the great chief was so bitter and so evident, that I could not help thinking it might break out into action. The Pawnees consider these corn-growing settled tribes as half-w hite men, and deny their right to hunt in the buffalo plains and moun- tains ; and the party now present had passed through the very range which the Pawnees were about to travel, and had probably driven off many of 4he buffalo. I am confident that they had saved their lives by their bold- ness, in coming straight to the camp by day with signs of peace. They wished to pass the Pawnees without being discovered by them ; but finding that they had been ob- served by the distant scouts, they at once adopted the safest, though apparently the rashest, course, by present- ing themselves peacefully and fearlessly to the whole nation : had they avoided the camp, and pursued their course, a Pawnee war-party would have probably gone out to cut them off. The Delawares, degraded in spirit and diminished in numbers as they are, have yet some lingering pride, some remains of that haughty assumption which led their an- cestors to call themselves the “ Lenni Lenupe ”t and to consider all other Indians as mere grafts from their pa- rent stock. One of those now present was a very good- * Drawing the hand across the throat as if to cut it. f Anglice, “ Fathers of men.” PRIDE OF THE DELAWARES. 287 looking young man, and a son of a celebrated Delaware warrior, who inflicted, about ten years ago, a terrible dis- grace upon the Pawnees. He was returning with his packs of skins from the Rocky Mountains, with only six or eight in his company, when they fell in with a Pawnee war-party, consisting of sixty or seventy. As the latter advanced to the charge, the Delawares hastily piled their packs before them, and being armed with guns, presented them, and awaited the attack of their enemies, who were armed only with their bows and ar- rows and war-clubs ; the latter did not relish too near an approach to the shining barrels, and kept riding round and round at speed, discharging their arrows and shout- ing and yelling. But the fate of one or two who ap- proached within reach of a Delaware bullet, kept the rest at a respectful distance. After skirmishing till dusk, they withdrew for a time, determined to fall upon them during their march ; but so admirably did the Delaware make his dispositions, that after killing several Pawnees, he brought his little band into the settlements without the loss of a man. I amused myself for two or three hours with making glossaries of the Delaware and Shawnee languages, (which I afterwards compared wilh information of others of the same tribes ;) the former of them is very soft and musical, the latter harsh and guttural. After trading in some few articles with the Pawnees, they left us, and pursued their course toward the Rocky Mountains. 288 INTERVIEW WITH CHAPTER XXL Interview with the Great Chief. — Telescope regained. — Stock of Pro- visions for the Journey. — Indian Knavery. — Disinterested Genero- sity. — Exchange of Horses — Message from the Great Chief. — A “ Talk.’’ — Invitation to the Great Chief — Presents made to him. — • "Want of Cleanliness among the Pawnees — Splendid Daybreak. — Valedictory Speeches. — A vicious Horse. — Journey homeward com- menced. — Herd of Buffalo. — Successful Shot. — Evening Camp. — Musquitqes. — Serious Accident. — Defection of our Guide. — Return to the Pawnees. — Repulsive Scene. — Indian Mourning. — Reception at the Lodge of Sa.-ni-tsa-rish. The evening of the 6th passed away, and I heard no tidings of my horse from the great chief; accordingly, early on the following morning (7lh), I despatched a young man from our lodge to inquire whether he meant to send me one; and, if he disliked the bargain, desired that he would send back the telescope. The lad return- ed, shook his head, and made a sign that the great chief said nothing. Being very indignant at this insolent knavery, I went strait to his lodge, and, on the way, cooled down my temper as well as I was able, being aware that a little imprudence might cost the lives of myself and all my party ; but, at the same time, that if I allowed myself to be thus cheated and imposed upon, I should be stripped of everything before I left the camp. 1 found the chief sitting in ihe customary manner, near the centre of his lodge, sharpening his arrows. Three or four of his young men were idling about, and two ol his squaws, assisted by a captive slave,* were cutting up and spread- ing their buffalo meat to dry. He received me as I ex- pected, with extreme coldness, which I pretended not to regard, but sat quietly down in the place to which he silently motioned me with his hand. * A captive taken in some war-party ; but I could not learn to what tribe she belonged. THE GREAT CHIEF. 289 Perceiving, after a few minutes, that he would not break the silence, I told him, that I had come to ask for the horse which he had promised for the telescope. He gave me no answer. I then proceeded to say, that “ he was a great chief, and had a single tongue, and that I knew he would not lie to his white brother.” Still the same sulky look, and no answer: in the meantime, I cast my eyes carefully round the interior of his lodge, and, at length, espied my telescope, hanging at the back of it, near his medicine-bag, &c. Having ascertained its locality, I said, I wished to return to the white man’s fort, and asked him distinctly, whether he would give me the horse or not ? This time he answered briefly and distinctly enough, ka-ki, “ no”. I then rose, and, going straight to my telescope, took it quietly down, and, hang- ing it round my own neck, told him it was all right, or very good, and walked deliberately away. I confess I felt rather uneasy at this juncture. The chief neither mov- ed nor spoke, and yet the muscles of his face were work- ing with ill-concealed passion; and I thought it just pos- sible that he would not be able to restrain his hand from seizing bow or tomahawk. However, I reached Sa-m- tsa-rish’s lodge without interruption, and the old man asked me if I had got the horse. I told him I had not ; but I showed him the telescope. He evinced momen- tary surprise, and asked me if the chief had given it me. I answered him by a sign, showing how I had taken it. Ho shook his head, and remained silent. I now began to lay in my stock of provisions for the journey, and, in exchange for a few beads, knives, and looking-glasses, obtained from the squaws two packs of well-dried meat, weighing about twenty-five pounds each, and a bag of Indian corn. I had also a few dried beans, which I had brought from the fort. Having communicated to my companion V my failure in obtaining the horse from the great chief, and finding that he had as little prospect of getting one from his ill-tempered and avaricious host, Pa^-tae-la^-cha’rd (although he had twenty or twenty-five),* we determin- * The name of this chief is classic throughout the whole western world, Vol. I. — Bb 290 GENEROSITY. ed upon putting together all our remaining stock of spare powder, lead, and baubles, in order to purchase one more pack-horse, or mule. We did so, and spread the heap before my old chief’s lodge. He looked at it, shook his head, and said, that “ no one would give us a horse for it, for there was no cloth.” He then desired his oldest wife to bring out from one of his bales a large piece of scarlet cloth, and to add it to my heap ; and he said “ Now call the men ; you will get a horse.” An Indian soon arrived, leading a sorry-looking ani- mal, but tolerably sound and strong. After examining the articles, he said they were good, and made the sign that he would trade. I directed my servant to roll them up for him, and a young man to tie the horse, when the Indian spirit of knavery again broke forth, and the fellow said, that there was not enough ; he must have another knife. I had already given all that I could afford, as we had retained'only one a-piece for the journey ; and I sat a moment in silent vexation : for I knew that to dispute was useless, even if I could have commanded words ; and to give, I had nothing. Sa-m-tsa-rish here slowly arose, and, taking from his belt his own large or- namented knife, threw it upon the heap of goods, and, with a haughty and indignant air, said, “ Take it and go /” then quietly resumed his seat. as being the first who dared to set at defiance the prejudices of his na- tion, and, when only twenty years of age, to rescue a female captive from the cruel death to which she was destined. The story is familiar to all who have paid any attention to the recent history of the Indian tribes ; but it is so admirably related by Major Long, that I shall make no apology for extracting it at length. (See Appendix.) I never saw Major Long’s work until some time after my return from the Pawnees, and I feel very uncertain whether the Pa6-tae-lae-cha’rd described by him is, or is not, the chief of the same name in whose lodge my companion V resided. The latter appeared to me about thirty-eight years of age ; and, as Major Long saw the young chief in 1819, and supposed him then to be about twenty-three, my calculation would be near the truth. In figure, strength, and influence, he would fully answer the Major’s description ; while the sixteen years that had passed over his head might easily have changed the daring high-spirited youth to the crafty ambitious chief. At the same time, there is so much uncertainty about Indian names, that I must con- fess my inability to decide this question, especially as I was given to un- derstand by Sd-ni-tsa-rish, that several chiefs had borne the name of Pae. tae-la6-cha’r6. I have described merely what I saw, and must leave tha evolution of this mystery to the Pawnee heralds and biographers, EXCHANGE OF HORSES. 291 During all my residence with the Indians, I had not witnessed an action so disinterested and generous per- formed with such majestic grace and dignity. While the abashed dealer sneaked off with his bundle, I took the old chief by the hand, and said, “ My father, you are a good man and, clenching my hand, pressed it against my breast, in token of my affection. He remained silent, and his features now resumed their usual quiet and grave character. Meantime, I formed a resolution that, if I again reached the fort, I would send him such a present, that he should never repent the day when he had been so friendly and generous to his white guest. I was now provided- with horses and provisions suffi- cient to give us a reasonable chance of reaching the fort without privation or difficulty. The only thing that an- noyed me was, that my companion, V , had, without (or rather, contrary to) my advice, exchanged a quiet and safe gray pony, which I had bought for him in Missouri, for a wild animal, belonging to an [ndian. The former had travelled many hundred miles without a fault or false step ; but he fancied it was not strong enough, and changed it for a Pawnee animal, which I remembered to have noticed on some of our marches, as it w r as of a remarkable colour, and w r as always rearing, kicking, and breaking loose'. As V was not a very good horse' man, I endeavoured to dissuade him from this bargain ; but he determined to adhere to it. Early in the afternoon I received a message from the great chief, desiring that I would come to his lodge to have a talk. As I did not know what explanations might be requisite, I sent for the Canadian, and requested him to accompany me. On arriving, I found that the chiefs of the Tapage and Republican bands had also been sum- moned. Several of the braves were present, and the countenance of the great chief had gained nothing in good-humour since the morning. As soon as the pipe had been circulated, he made a speech of some length, the purport of which was, that I proposed to “ go back to white men through the prai- rie, but that I ought to go with them to their winter vil- lage, and return thence by the great trail.” I told him 292 A “TALK.” that “ we must return straight ; that our fathers and bro- thers were far ; that they looked for us ; and that if we stayed, our corn would be spoiled.” The Republican chief made a speech, and said, that “ it was bad for me to go with so few young men ; that there were' bad men, and no friends, hunting in the prai- ries and concluded by saying, that I had better go with the Pawnees to their winter village. I answered him, through the interpreter, that “ I knew he had a single tongue, and spoke truth ; that my ears were open ; but that I could go through the prairie without fear with my young men : that my rifle (on which I was leaning) would kill bad men far off ; and that, if they killed me, my grandfather (the President) would punish them.” The Tapage sat silent, but the great chief rose again, and exclaimed (at least so it was translated to me by the Canadian, for he spoke in so excited and hurried a tone that I could catch few, if any, of the words) : “ My fa- ther, you have not ears : if you go in that direction” (pointing east by north) “ you will drive the cows from our path ; you will spoil our winter food. It is not good ; you must stay, and not go. I have said.” By my de- sire, the Canadian answered the great chief : — “ You and your brothers have been good to me. We have eaten, slept, hunted, and smoked the pipe together. My ears are open. I will not drive one cow from your path. Point with your finger to the Pawnee path, and I will go home a day’s journey to the right or the left of it. But I will not stay. You are a great chief, and go where you please. I am also a white chief ; I am not a squaw nor a captive. I go to-morrow straight back to our grandfather ; and I wish to tell him, and your father (Major Dogherty), how good to me his Pawnee children are. I have spoken.” The chiefs looked at each other for a moment in si- lence ; and I thought that more angry discussion should be avoided ; so I arose and walked slowly back to my lodge. I tried to explain to Sa-m-tsa-rish what had pass- ed. He shook his head, and made no remarks. It is remarkable, that neither Y nor our white attendants were summoned to this “talk,” nor to the “great medi- cine” feast already described. PRESENTS TO THE GREAT CHIEF. 293 In two hours I wished to avoid the inconvenience and risk of parting from the great chief in open hostility, so I sent to invite him to a feast. To my surprise he came ; and, after the meat and pipe, I made him a present of some wampum, and a gay-looking cotton handkerchief ; besides which, I gave him eight new spare horse-shoes, which I had brought with me in case of accidents. They were useless, and very troublesome to carry : had they been good for anything, I would have given them to my old host; but to the chief I only gave them to get rid of them, f thought that the cunning savage appreciated more correctly than I could wish the value of this pre- sent ; but he received it with becoming gravity. Soon afterward he asked me for some coffee and sugar. I had a very small quantity of these in my bag, and I did not know to what straits I might be reduced, and I de- clined to give him any, saying, in the usual Indian way, “ I have got none !” He soon rose and went away ; and our parting was not affectionate on either side. I was glad that lie had feasted with me, and taken my presents after our talk; because he could not, according to their customs, after so doing, order me to be interrupted or waylaid in my route. On the night of the 7th I scarcely slept at all, so ex-, cited was I at the prospect of our prairie journey, and, I may add, so delighted at exchanging, even for greater hardships, the confinement, the vermin, and the dirt of the Pawnee lodges. It is not a pleasant thing to comment upon nastiness of any kind ; but a few trifles, of daily occurrence, may be necessary to rescue my companion and myself from the charge of caprice. Imprimis : every article within the lodge, including my own skins, jacket, and shirt, was covered with vermin. These insects are, as is well known, of two species ; the one frequenting the hair, the- ether the body. The former of these are considered by the Pawnee naturalists “ Pediculus esculentus ;” for whenever the squaws are unemployed in severer labour, they enjoy a feast of this kind, gathered either from the hair of their children or of each other. For many suc- cessive weeks I have observed them pass from half an Bb* 294 WANT OF CLEANLINESS. hour to an hour of every day in this manner, and they really seem to eat this filthy vermin with no small satis- faction ; but I have been told by traders, that they will not eat them from the heads of the whites ! Another circumstance that used to annoy me very much, was, that the water, which was frequently bad enough as brought by the squaws from the stream or pond, was placed generally near the opening of the lodge, where it was a perpetual plaything for all the children ; one would dabble his hands in it, another dip his or her dirty face into the vessel to drink, while the hair was floating over its surface ; and now and then a cur, more sly or bold than the rest, would sneak round and get a drink, until the indignant squaw, who had carried it perhaps two or three hundred yards, might become aware of his lapping, when the first weapon within reach, whether bone, stick, stone, or tomahawk, was launched at the intruder’s head, with a shrieking exclamation, which can only be written as follows, it being remembered in pronunciation that the rr must be burred as strongly as possible : “ t’s — t’st — urr-r-r-r-r-r a-sa-ki” (which last is the Pawnee word for dog). All the preceding particulars regarding the water are well enough, until it is mentioned that I was destined to di ink it. Indeed, I may say, I found that all the ac- cidental and occasional hardships of Indian life in the country, such as scarcity of food or water, long marches in oppressive heat, sleeping in cold or wet places — all these I found more tolerable than the filth that was hourly before my eyes, and in which I was obliged to live. The only persons in the camp whom I could view with any feelings of regard were my old chief and his good-humoured, though unattractive wives and daughters, among whom I distributed before I left them all the tri- fles and trinkets which my horse-dealing enabled me to spare. As a good omen for our journey, the morn of the 8th dawned with a magnificence more glorious than ever I had seen on the great Atlantic ; the undulating outline of the eastern hills was robed in a gorgeous mass of saffron, surmounted by a wide extent of amber, resem- bling the tints sometimes seen on the cheek of a peach ; and above that again night was slowly receding behind a VALEDICTORY SPEECHES. 295 curtain of the softest rosy hue, from the centre of which the lingering planet of morning looked out like an eye. Soon after daybreak we had packed our skins and pro- visions on two horses. One was led by the guide ; and all was ready for our departure. Our old chief made me a speech, in which he seemed much affected. He said : “ My father, you have -been too short time with us ; but your squaws and your white brothers want you. Go, my father. Your tongue is single; your ears are open. You are a chief ; go, and tell our grandfather that Sa-m-tsa-rish is a brother to his children.” To this speech I made a suitable reply, through the Canadian, telling him that “ he was indeed a good man, and that when I reached the white man’s dwelling, I would speak truth of him to his father and his grandfather ; and when his young men returned, their hands should not be empty, but all the Pawnees should know that the white chief loved Sa-m-tsa-rish.”* I then embraced him, shook hands with the squaws, as well as with his children, to whom I had given presents according to their ages, and prepared to mount, as the attendants were already on horseback. A scene now commenced, the termination of which was serious and unpleasant. My companion V ’s Pawnee horse was brought up to him by an Indian, leading it with a strong laryette ; but, as soon as he ap- proached, the animal snorted, reared, kicked, and showed every sign of spite and anger. If he came near it in front, it would run at him with its teeth, and if behind, lashed the air with a pair of very active heels. Not be- ing a practised horseman, Y could not creep behind the animal and spring on it, or perform any similar equestrian manoeuvre ; and I, having already mounted my roan, could see that the Indians weie beginning to make signs to each other, and to laugh at our predica- ment. Knowing how dangerous it is among this people to allow yourself to be a subject of ridicule, I told V * I need scarcely inform the reader, that I fulfilled this promise as soon as I reached the settlements. I sent the old chief, through the Indian agent, a supply of knives, tobacco, cloth, beaus, and blankets* £96 JOURNEY HOMEWARD to ride my horse, and I would see what I could make of his wild beast. Accordingly, I took my cudgel in my hand and walked toward him in front, telling the Indian by signs to hold on to the laryette. As I approached, he snuffed and snorted as he had done to V ; and when he thought I was near enough, jumped forward to seize me with his teeth ; but I saluted him with a heavy blow on the head with my cudgel, and finding that it checked him, I repeated the application. He appeared stunned and stupified for a moment, so I jumped on him, and, telling the Indian to let go, gave the word to march. For the first few minutes I continued to belabour my unruly steed with the cudgel, accompanying every blow with a loud rough ejaculation, in order that he might learn to know my voice. Before I had long treated his ribs to the same wholesome discipline which his head had undergone, he appeared to be quite humbled and docile, so I rode quietly on with the party ; and when- ever he showed symptoms of resuming his pranks, I only had to call to him in the same tone as before, and he returned to a sense of duty. With what light hearts did we now take our way across, the prairie with our faces to the east, considering as our resting-place and home that Fort Leavenworth which, six months before, I should have deemed, and which many now deem, the “ ultima Thule of the inhabitable world ! Thus are all the objects in life coloured by the cir- cumstances which form the medium through which they are viewed ; and thus, in an analogous instance, the dry brown loaf and pitcher of buttermilk, which the poorest British labourer dines upon at mid-day under a hedge, or the rations of any culprit in jail, would often (during the last few weeks) have been to us a most delicious ban- quet. Inspired by these thoughts, I marched by the side of our guide, and endeavoured to improve my scanty stock of the Pawnee language. I observed that he took a course nearly parallel, but bearing rather northward, of that of the “ village,” and he gave me to understand that he did so by the orders of the great chief. I made no objection, knowing that a score of miles, more or less, in. HERD OF BUFFALOES. 297 such a journey as we had before us, could be of little importance. After travelling between twenty and thirty miles (east north-east, by compass), we halted for an hour or two, to bait our horses, on the brink of a small stream, which flowed gently down a sheltered ravine, opened our pro- vision packs, and were proceeding to eat our mid-day meal, when we saw a small herd of buffalo gallopping furi- ously along, at a distance, having been evidently startled by some outskirters among the Pawnee hunters, who were some miles to the south of us. Observing them closely, we soon became aware that they did not see us ; and I determined to try and give our two Indians a high idea of my skill in woodcraft, — so I caught up my rifle, made signs to all the party to remain perfectly still, and crept rapidly along the bottom of the ravine, to meet them at the point where I thought they would cross it. I was on foot, and of course there was some danger in the experiment ; but I could not afford to tire my faithful roan, by gallopping her while on a long march. Raising my head cautiously and at intervals, I could see the small herd of buffalo bounding along after their ungainly fash- ion, and evidently making for a kind of gap or break in the ravine, a few hundred yards ahead. Increasing my speed, I was enabled to lie down, about seventy or eighty yards from their crossing-place, just as the leader plunged into the defile. Allowing two or three scraggy ill-look- ing animals to pass unnoticed, I at last saw a fine fat young cow enter the pass. I let her descend, and re- served my fire till she should begin to mount the oppo- site “ brae.” When she was about mid-way up, I fired with deliberate aim, and heard that welcome crack , which tells to a sportsman’s ear that his bullet has found its mark. However, I remained still, and she continued her course. At length, I observed that the rest gallopped on, and she lagged behind. I then gave chace : before I came up she had staggered and fallen ; and on reach- ing the spot, I found that the ball had pierced her heart. I now returned to my companions, and, shouting to them to bring the two pack-horses, in a few minutes we had more fat meat slung across them than I could permit 298 EVENING CAMP. them lo be loaded withal on the journey. I was proud of this shot, and I could see that the Indians exchanged looks of surprise and admiration when they saw the fear- ful rent which my ounce-ball had made in the buffalo’s heart. We made a short and merry feast, and slung enough meat to last for one or two days. We then pursued our course till dusk. The wild horse required a little disci- pline of the cudgel by the way ; but I now found that merely shaking it near his head, and calling to him at the same time, was sufficient to quiet him. We camped' for the evening ori the brink of a streamlet, having made about thirty miles, east-north-east. Here we were both surprised and annoyed at finding a number of musqui- toes and horse-flies, a nuisance from which we had been so long free ; and on applying to the Indian, he told me that the “ a-shats” (musquito) never came within reach of their village or camp. Whether this be owing to the number of fires, or peculiar smell exhaled by the skins and grease which they use, I know not ; but I had the means afterwards of ascertaining the fact. 9th. — This day was the most unfortunate which we had hitherto experienced. Having, as I thought, suffi- ciently subdued the vicious horse, I had given it back to V , and was again mounted on my own. While riding in front with the guide, I heard a noise behind me, and turning round saw him on the ground, and the brute plunging about him and upon him. Gallopping back at full speed, T shouted as I rode up to this wild beast, and he went off loose over the prairie. Hastily directing the second Indian to watch, follow, and catch him, I stooped down over V , whom I found speechless, and almost without sense or motion. Fortunately there was a stream and a tree not far off: we carried him thither, and placing him under the latter, began to use all the means in our power to restore suspended anima- tion. At length, to my anxious inquiries as to where he felt the severe pain or hurt, he answered by indicating his breast and ribs. All our stock of medicine was in- cluded in one bottle of brandy, which I had carefully reserved in case of violent dysentery or accidents, l SERIOUS ACCIDENT. 299 now opened it ; we began to chafe his body, and soon had the satisfaction of seeing him fully restored to the powers of consciousness and respiration ; but he suffered much pain, his breast was bruised severely, he thought two or three ribs were broken, and his left arm was so severely hurt that he could not move or raise it. ' I do not know that ever I spent so anxious an hour; for the thought occurred to me that if he had received Contusions affecting either the lungs or the intestines, he might die for want of surgical assistance. I looked at my roan, and for some minutes thought of leaving him with the rest of the party, and taking a little dried buffalo meat, of riding alone, as fast as she could carry me, to the fort, to ask for a surgeon and two or three soldiers to assist in transporting him. Then I remembered the length of the journey, the probability that I might fail in returning to the exact spot, and the time that must neces- sarily elapse before I could return, which rendered it probable that before then he must be either dead or con- valescent ; so I determined to remain with him, and endeavour to play the part of surgeon as well as our slender means would permit. Accordingly, I ordered some buffalo broth to be made, and in the meantime continued the brandy embrocation both to the arm and the body ; w r e made him as soft a bed as we could ft wdth our skins, and left much to the care of dame Nature ; a nurse wdio, when unthwarted by folly and quackery, is one of the most efficient of the restorers of health. Meantime the Indian lad returned, leading the author of all this evil ; and as I looked at his malignant eye and his flapping sulky ears, I internally resolved to take him under my own particular care, to load him and cudgel him to his heart’s content, as soon I as we might be able to resume a journey which had been interrupted by his savage vice. Upon inquiring into the origin of the accident, I learned that he had begun to jump a little ; V had tried to soothe and coax him : as soon as he discovered ; this change in the system of government, he reared and plunged more violently and threw his rider — who was, as I before remarked, not a very practised horseman. All 300 return to the pawnees. this I could have forgiven him ; but the jumping about V , arid kicking at him while on the ground, I deter- mined to requite upon the first opportunity. At present I only hobbled and tied him fast, in which operation a few hints both from my voice and cudgel were neces- sary. At mid-day, I found with great satisfaction, that a few hours’ rest, together with the brandy embrocation, had very much allayed the pain and inflammation of V ’s hurts. Neither the arm nor ribs proved to be broken; but the former was so contused as to be without use or motion. At this time, the Indian coming up to me, said that “ the Great Spirit was against our going — that this sign, or omen, was not good — that it was against his medicine to guide us ; and he must strike to the south, to the Pawnee trail, and rejoin them.” It is never any use to argue a question' with an Indian : this man, though an excellent guide and runner, was neither a hunter, nor a warrior ; and he probably did not much like crossing with so small a company a wide extent of wilderness, where we were so liable to fall in with war-parlies from other tribes. I consulted my companions, and we all agreed that it would be foolish rashness to endeavour to find our way to the settlements without a guide, and with one of our small party com- pletely crippled and inefficient. Indeed I thought that V might require the assistance and rough nursing of the Indians before he would be able to undergo the fatigue of so long a journey ; we, therefore, agreed to go back to the Pawnees, although, I believe, we were all so heartily tired of them, that we would have done anything consistent with common sense to avoid being again with them. However, there was no remedy; and we struck off at an easy and gentle rate, south-south- east. I took charge of the wild horse, for he would not permit either of my attendants to come near him ; and I placed upon him the heaviest pair of saddle-bags which we possessed, beside my own person, while V rode my gentle roan. We camped in the evening without accident, and V seemed to recover from his bodily bruises ; but the arm REPULSIVE SCENE. 301 remained powerless. His steed gave us here another specimen of his amiable nature, i had tied him by the laryette to a stump to keep him quiet, while we unpack- ed the other animals ; and, in arrangingthe baggage, my servant walked unguardedly, with a pair of saddle-bags over his arm, too near the place where he was apparent- ly feeding ; but he was only watching an opportunity for mischief; for he backed suddenly, and kicked with both heels and all his force at poor John, who had a narrow escape; for the saddle-bags were sent some yards from him, and he himself nearly knocked over, whether by surprise and alarm, or by the horse’s hoofs, I know not. However, there could be no satisfaction in travelling in company with such a sly brute, and I determined to ex- change him for anything I could get when we overlook the village. About ten o’clock on the following day we found the great Pawnee trail, and, following it, came at mid-day to the place where they had camped the night before, and a most hideous spectacle did it present : the grass was all trodden into mud — hundreds of circular heaps of charred wood attested the number of fires that had been used ; and the whole plain was strewed with split heads, bare skeletons, arid scattered entrails of buffalo; while some hundreds of the half-starved Pawnee dogs, who had linger- ed behind the village, were endeavouring to dispute some morsels of the carcasses with the gaunt snarling wolves, who were stripping the scanty relics of skin and sinew which are left by Indian butchery attached to the bone. So intent were these last upon their filthy meal, that they allowed me to ride close up to them without leaving it; and I could have shot half a dozen of them with a pocket-pistol. The desolation of the scene was rather increased than diminished by two small circular lodges, the apertures to which were closed, and from which pro- ceeded the low wailing chant of Indian mourning. This I observed to be a common custom among the Pawnees. After the rest of the village had been for se- veral hours on the march, a mourning family would re- main behind and sing this melancholy kind of dirge. I should think that it must be a very dangerous mode of Vol. I.— Cc 302 INDIAN MOURNING. lamentation while in these remote excursions ; because, if any hostile war-parly was hovering ori the Pawnee trail, they would inevitably fall victims to the pursuers. But this risk may be the very reason for its being es- teemed so great a tribute to the dead ; or, possibly, they may trust to the distant out-posts of well-mounted war- riors, with which the Pawnees always secure their rear and flanks The duration of mourning among this tribe seems very unfixed : the widow always mourns a year for her hus- band ; but I have sometimes seen squaws moaning and chanting in the evening at a little distance from camp ; and, on inquiry, have learned that they were mourning for a relative, who had been some years dead. About ten miles beyond this spot, we found the Paw- nees encamped, and made our way straight to the lodge of Sa-ni-tsa-rish ; for V did not wish to trust himself again in that of PaMa®-la®-cha’rb, so importunate in his demands, and so insolent in pressing them, had that young chief become of late. Indeed, just before our former departure, he had refused to sell us a horse, although he had ihiriy, and we offered him the full com- plement of articles usually given in exchange; his tem- per was by no means improved by his having lost his two best horses in gambling at the game of the hoop and dart before described. So it was agreed that we ■Would only slay till V was able to travel, and until we could procure fresh guides and another horse, in the place of the “ wild beast.” The old chief received us in his usual kind manner; and, agreeably to Indian custom, testified not the least surprise at our return, nor curiosity to know what had so suddenly caused it, until we were seated, and chose to explain to him by signs, that V had been, and still was much hurt, by a bad horse, and that our guide, his broiher, had thought it “ bad medicine” to proceed. Sa-ni-tsa-rish said he was sorry my white broiher was hurt, and that one of his young men should try and find a horse in exchange for the wicked one. When he found that V would not return to the lodge of PaMag-lag- cha’ro, he shook his head, and looked somewhat grave A COMMISSION. 303 and disconcerted. I knew that he had not room nor pro- visions for all our party, and that we ought not to put the old man to much inconvenience, especially in drawing upon him the ill-will of the haughty young chief; 1, there- fore, told him that, if he would procure us the horse and two fresh guides, that we wished to go immediately ; for V said he was well enough to sit upon a horse, though not to make long marches at first. I do not think that Sa-ru-tsa-rish was well pleased with the conduct of his brother (who was, indeed, a timid foolish Indian), nor do I think that the latter was very well satisfied with his own performances ; for as soon as we reached the camp, he had gone off to his lodge, and, during our stay, he neither came to us nor to his brother. CHAPTER XXII. Commission intrusted to the Canadian Interpreter. — Arrangement with two Indian Guides. — Pae-tae-lae-cha’ro — Indications of his Ma- lignity. — Leave the Pawnees. — Harangue of the Guide. — Dinner. — March resumed. — Fearful Storm. — Indian Superstition. — Morning after the Storm. — Ramble in Search of Game. — Antelope. — A nar- row Escape. — An Indian Hunter — Conversation with him. — Lose my Party. — Visit to an Indian Camp. — My Reception there. I now sent up to the Republican band for the Cana- dian interpreter, and requested him to assist in changing the horse, and in hiring two guides for the fort, and ask- ed him to secure, if possible, two bold active fellows, who would not turn back for a trifle. The first part of this commission he executed by giving me an animal of his own, which looked tolerably well at first, but a few days’ experience showed him to be lame from a conceal- ed disease, in the foot. How he executed the second, the sequel will show. He brought me two young men ; the elder was called a hunter and a warrior (having been out with a war-party) ; and they both said that they were willing to guide the white chief to his home, and to see his white brothers. I was inclined favourably towards the elder of these young men, because he was a relative 304 GUIDES HIRED. of our old chief. I then repeated carefully with the in- terpreter what I would give them when we reached the fort ; so many blankets, knives, papers of paint, strings of wampum, pieces of cloth, a horse, &c. ; — all this i wrote with my pencil, and read to them. They said, “ Their white father was good ; his hand was open ; they would go to his home.” Having arranged this matter, we all slept under, or ne r, the lodge of Sa-m-tsa-risb. I found the interior of the lodge so close and offensive duiing some of these mild nights that 1 frequently spread my bearskin before it, where my brother, t he chief’s son, slept near me, and sung me to sleep with his low monotonous war-song. Indeed, a great many of the young Pawnee warriors prefer sleeping on the damp ground, wrapped in their buffalo-skin or blanket, to the interior of a lodge, which last they consider effeminate. In the morning I was re- joiced to find that V was so much better as to de- clare himself able and anxious to escape, a second time, from the vermin nest, to which we had so. unwillingly re- turned. We then collected our packs of skins, and whatever few other articles we possessed ; having also contrived to purchase a small additional supply of dried maize and tufalo meat, and began to load our horses before our old chief’s lodge. While this ceremony was being performed, Pae-ta^-la^-cha’ro, with whom V had be- fore resided, came up and squatted down by our goods, with his eyes fixed upon them, and, without deigning to notice V , who had been so long his guest, and from whom he had received as many presents as our means had enabled him to offer. He sat for some time perfectly still, and gave me full leisure to admire (as I could not help doing) the magnificent mould of his Herculean limbs, uniting the smooth roundness and pliant grace pe- culiar to the Indians, with a developement of muscle and sinew rarely seen among them. He had shaved off the ponderous mass of black and bushy hair.* which * It is well known that the Indians’ hair is almost universally black and strait ; that of this chief was certainly an exception to the latter, for INDIAN CHIEF. 305 covered his head when I had first known him; all but the scalplock, which, intertwined with an eagle’s feather, and tinged with vermilion, now rose high above his scalp, as if daring any mortal to try to win it. I know not what had obtained for us the displeasure and hatred of this dangerous chief ; but, though we had so often eaten, hunted, and smoked together — though our attendants had rendered him a number of services, in trifling matters which his own people did not understand, he now looked up in my face as if he had never known me, and, with a countenance strongly indicative of dis- like and malignity. In returning his look, I threw into my manner as much unconcern andcontempt as I could ; but, nevertheless, thought it not unlikely that he would do us some mischief before we reached the fort. Old Sa-ni-tsa-rish’s gave me a warm embrace at part- ing, as before ; but he was grave and thoughtful, and said, there were bad men in the prairie ; adding a signi- ficant sign that we should look out while we slept.* This last caution I determined not to forget; but I did not communicate it to the rest of the party, thinking that without it there was already in the journey before us sufficient cause for anxiety and uneasiness. On the morning of the 1 1th we again bade adieu to the Pawnees, and most anxiously did we all wish that it might be for ever. While we shook hands with all the other Indians around, and while 1 embraced my old chief, and my brother,! PaMaMa^-cha’rd retained the when allowed 1 to grow long, it was extremely thick, and had a very perceptible wave. I have aiso both read and heard of many exceptions to the black colour in the remote tribes in the mountains, such as the Arrapahoes, Kaskaias, &c., and more especially the Mandans on the Upper Missouri, among whom there are many instances of hair of a grayish blue ashy colour; but it prevails more among the females than among the men. * This sign is made by suffering the head to rest for a moment on the palm of the right hand, in a reclining position (to imitate sleep), and then passing the forefinger of the same hand from the eye in an oblique direction, which indicates that you are to look, secretly or warily ; whereas, if you are desired to look straight before you, or openly, the forefinger would be directed toward the supposed object in front. + The son of Sa-m-t.sa-rish, whom I have more than once mentioned, and who was, in the main, a good-natured young man, had frequently, while we were hunting together, called me by this name, which is Eh- Cc* 306 MARCH COMMENCED. same sulky and unmoved expression, and we began our march without his having bestowed one mark of recog- nition, either on his late guest or on myself. Soon after we had left the village I rode forward, in order to make my observations on the disposition of the guide, to watch how he selected the ground for our route, and also to amuse myself by improving myself in Pawnee grammar. The young man seemed very lively and communicative, and was extremely fond of convers- ing by signs, an art in which he was thoroughly versed ; and I soon became so familiar with his method of ex- pression, that I could understand almost everything he wished to explain to me. It may not be uninteresting to record a long speech he thus made me, and of wdiich I could understand the whole without his once speaking : — “ My father, you are going home to your lodge; it is very far; twenty days we must travel fast. I am your brother. I will find the path ; I will find water. At night I will watch to see if bad men are coming ; Sioux and Shiennes, and others, are bad men. Your white brother (V ) is' not strong ; he is wounded in the arm and body ; he must sleep; I will look. You will come to your village‘(Fort Leaven- worth); I shall see your people ; they will give me plenty to eat. I will see your pretty white squaws ; you will give me blankets, beads, a horse; you will load him for me with knives, and cloth, and a coat, and a hat. I will go back to the Pawnees ; I will be a man ; I will take a squaw r — a very pretty young squaw. Men will see my blankets, and other goods, and will say, 4 The white chief is your father; he has an open hand.’ ” During this harangue he frequently stopped, and asked me by signs if I understood. If I answered by an af- firmative sign, he immediately went on, if by a negative, he repeated his gestures more carefully until I compre- hended them. After travelling in this manner about twenty miles, we reached a creek of considerable size ; it was very wel- r&h-re, putting at the same time, two fingers of the right hand together on his lower lip, and then pressing his clenched hand over his heart ; the first of these signs denoting brotherhood ; the second, affection. DINNER. 307 come to our eyes, for we were very thirsty ; moreover, we thought it would lead us to one of the upper forks of the Kanzas,* and w,hen we should have crossed that river, we should be among friendly Indians, and consider ourselves safe. Here we camped and prepared our din- ner, which was by no means to be despised ; for be it remembered, that we had kept, besides a pound or two of tea, coffee, and sugar, a small sack of flour, two or three quarts of beans, and a large piece of fat bacon, or rather, bacon fat ; besides these civilized luxuries, we had some maize and dried buffalo meat. Our kitchen utensils consisted of a large iron pot, a smaller tin one, for boiling our tea, coffee, &c., and a frying-pan without a handle. ( )ur dinner and tea service were not upon so mag- nificent a scale, having each of us a butcher’s knife, a tin cup, a wooden bowl, and a spoon made of buffalo-horn. We now determined to indemnify ourselves for our dirty half-dressed fare among the Pawnees, not by the quan- tity, but by the quality and delicacy of our cookery. I appointed young Hardy, the American lad, cook. As ,soon as his fac? was turned homeward, he improved very much in spirits, readiness, and activity, and in all the detail of daily work completely beat my other servant, although the latter was a full grown and a stronger man. • We put into the pot, with three or four quarts of water, a large lump of meat, with some maize and a few beans. When these were thoroughly boiled, they made a very palatable and nutritious soup ; but in our second course we indulged in a luxury to which we had long been strangers ; for we made some small flour cakes, by fry- ing them in bacon fat, and finished this repast with a cup. of coffee. After which we lit our pipes with Kinne- kennik, leaned back against some of the bales with our feet to the fire, and felt as complete a contempt for want and care as ever I remember to have experienced. In feeding our guides, I had allowed them a larger allowance of meat and maize than we took ourselves ; but no cakes, as our stock of flour was so small; and as to bacon, no *' It would have led us, as we afterward discovered, to one of the tributaries of the Arkansas. 308 MARCH RESUMED. Pawnee will touch it.* The coffee they did not like ; and it is no wonder; for thinking it was throwing pearls before swine, I took care to dilute their portions liberally with water ; but I found that, whether strong or weak, they disliked it, and only drank it because they thought it was “ great medicine ” among the whiles. In the afternoon we marched for two or three hours, observing generally the course of the same stream. We passed vast herds of buffalo; our guides wished me to shoot one or two, but I would not, for more reasons than one ; first, I thought we had still as much meat as our horses ought to be made to carry, so that it would be but wanton cruelty to kill what we could notuse; and second- ly, I could not tell how near to us might be lurking parties of Pawnees, perhaps watching these very herds, and who might, if f began to hunt and shoot them, be depriv- ed of their meat supply, and become hostile in their views toward us; so I would not permit the animals to be dis- turbed, and we passed quietly on about twelve miles : course by compass east by north. A heavy black mass of clouds now appeared above the norlh-west horizon, and we resolved to camp immediately, in order to get time to shelter our baggage, secure our horses, light our fire, and, if possible, pitch our tent. This last was a small fly-tent, which had been lent to me by one of the officers at the fort ; we had used it only a few times on our outward march, and never since we had joined the Pawnee village. I would now have left it in the barren wilderness, where we could not find tent-poles with which to raise it, had I not thought that I was bound by all the considerations of honesty and politeness, to re- turn it to the mess from which I had been allowed to take it. We had ill calculated the rapidity with which one of these terrible storms in ihe West marches across the hea- vens. We had only just time to unload and secure our horses, and to pile our baggage in a heap, with the tent * The horror of many tribe of Indians for bacon may be noticed as one of the curious coincidences which have been brought forward for the purpose of tracing their origin up to the Israelites. FEARFUL STORM. 309 thrown loosely over it, when the flood-gates were let loose above us, and a torrent descended, such as I have never seen exceeded, if equalled, in my life. The darkness seemed blacker than usual, fitful gusts of tempest swept with unchecked fury over the waste, while the broad flashes of lightning which accompanied the heavy and repealed peals of thunder, served to reveal to us our pitiful and miserable plight. Pitiful, indeed, it was, for we had neither food, fire, nor shelter, but were stretched on the grass round the baggage, each in the position which he had first chosen, wrapped in our buffalo-skins, which, in half an hour, were completely soaked and drenched. There was no remedy but to lie quiet and make the best of it ; for, after the first fury of the storm had passed over, a heavy continuous rain succeeded, and did not cease till morning. Just about dawn the guide came to me, led me a little on one side, then pointing upward, told me in a whisper to “ ask the Great Spirit to send no more rain, but to show the sun I gravely made a sign of assent, and he went away apparently satisfied. Whether he derived this idea from his own superstitious belief in the white man’s superior facilities of communi- cating with the Great Spirit, or whether he had heard any- thing from one of the Missionaries about praying, I know' not. With the dawn, .the darkness and the rain departed, and I shall not soon forget the sensation which I expe- rienced, nor the appearance of our group. Drenched, hungry, and shivering wfith cold, we crawled out of the puddles in which we had slept, and I never saw a more miserable-looking set of Christians than we were. Our clothes were soaked, ragged, and dirty ; our beards of a week’s growth ; and our broad-brimmed hats doubled and squeezed into the most quaint and fantastic shapes. Even the Indians, as they rose and shook their blankets, patted their cold ribs and loins, saying, “ It is very cold ; — not good, not good.” Some of our party complained much of symptoms of lumbago and rheumatism ; but I urged them to jump and move about, to catch the horses which had strayed to some distance, although hobbled, and to try and make a fire. This last, after no little trouble, w r e 310 BREAKFAS f. effected, put on our pots, and made some soup and hot coffee, smoked our pipe of Kinnekinnik,* and, as soon as the sun appeared, spread our clothes and skins to dry. We were obliged also to spread all our meat, for ihat being carried in packs will spoil very soon, unless kept carefully dry. While lying thus lazily steaming and drying myself, it being lhe morning of the 1 2th, I began to think of the thousands of citizens, cockneys, and sportsmen, who were on this day killing (or frightening) their fifty brace on the brown hills of old Scotland. I felt a longing to be there — not for the grouse, but for some of the fami- liar faces of home. At noon we started again, and soon fell in with a small party of Pawnees, who were pursuing a straightcourse for their winter village, north-north-east ; we interchanged a few words and passed on. The day had now become very close and sultry, so I threw off my coat and waist- coat, and securing my ammunition in my waist-belt, determined to walk off the stiffening effects of the pre- ceding night’s ducking. The guide pointed to a high point or knob at a distance, apparently terminating the ridge on which we were situated, and it was agreed that the party should camp there for the night ; while I should take a ramble with my rifle, and endeavour to ob- tain a supply of fresh fat, of which 'we were much in need for our frying-pan operations. Accordingly, I start- ed, and after traversing a large space of barren, undula- ting ground, I saw a few antelope browsing ; as they had also seen me, all my attempts to approach them were abortive ; so I determined to try a method well known to western hunters. Hiding myself behind a small mound, I raised my handkerchief on the point of my ramrod, and waved it gently once or twice, then with- drew it; this manoeuvre I repeated two or three times, * Kinneklnnlck ; this mixture, which is smoked by all the Indians of the western regions, is usually composed of the dried leaves of the shu- mack and the inner bark of the red willow ; these are chopped very fine, and the compound is generally carried in otters’ skins, ornamented with beads or porcupine quills ; with the addition of one-fourth proportion of tobacco, it is a smoking-mixture by no means to be despised. I be- lieve the word is Delaware. Narrow escape. 311 and the silly, curious animals approached with their noses and necks stretched forward, to see what this strange ap- parition could be. They were coming nearer and nearer, and would have been almost immediately within shot, when preparing to present my rifle, I. made some awk- ward movement, so as to expose my elbow or shoulder, and in a moment the timid creatures ran off at full speed, leaving me in the worst predicament that a man can be in, angry with himself. After walking for another hour, I saw a single buffalo grazing on the top of a hill, the sides of which were very level and slightly inclined, so as to render it difficult to approach him. Resolving, however, to attempt it, I took advantage of every mound and hillock to conceal myself, until I came within about three hundred yards : hence the gentle slope was quite smooth ; so 1 was obliged to lie down, and trail myself along the ground, like a serpent, dragging my rifle with me. Whenever the buffalo stopped feeding, and raised his head, I in- stantly dropped arrd remained perfectly still, until he again began to browse. In this manner I had succeeded in crawling within about eighty yards, without disturb- ing the animal, when, just as I raised myself slightly, to take my aim, I heard the report of a gun. A ball whistled by me, and the buffalo gallopped off. Starting to my feet, I ran forward, and saw the hunter who had jus fired. He had apparently been creeping to attack the buffalo from the other side : he had missed his mark and I thought that the bullet had passed much nearer me than was necessary. I was not quite sure what the ob- ject of his aim’ had really been; for it is very difficult, when a bullet is whistling through the air, to tell its ex- act distance, as, (if it is not completely round,) it will sound much louder and nearer than it would if its form were perfect. However this may be, I felt rather doubt- ful of this Indian, and thought that he might have taken a fancy to prefer my rifle and ammunition, and a white man’s scalp to a load of buffalo meat. As I drew near, he spoke to me in Pawnee, pointed to the buffalo, and said he had missed it. I said, “ your gun is bad !” He was just beginning to reload it, when 312 INDIAN HUNTER* I told him he must not do so. I pointed to my double rifle, which was loaded, and said, that it was enough. In fact, I thought it as well to keep this suspicious-look- ing fellow unarmed while we were in company. He had, it is true, a scalp-knife for close quarters ; but I had one also; and, in looking him carefully over, I was pret- ty well satisfied that I w r as the stronger of the two. He did appear to be more than twenty, and was slightly formed : if we were to quarrel, he might, it is tiue, beat me in running; but my faithful Purday would have more than compensated that disadvantage. However he did not seem in the least angry or displeased when I told him not to load his gun, but laughed at his own bad shot, and, pointing to my rifle, said he would give me his piece and a horse for my “ medicine gun.” I declined the bargain, but w r as pleased by the fellow’s good-humour ; and thought I had done him an injustice in suspecting him of having aimed at me. I remembered, also, that I had a great advantage over him in my light and excellent weapon ; so I told him he might load his gun, but made him signs that il we saw buffalo or antelope, he must shoot better. He took up the sign language directly, grinned, and, with a look of contempt on his gun, (which was a bran-new thirty-shilling exportation from Birmingham,) showed me that he would not miss a buffalo if he had his bow and arrow's. He now proceeded to load, an operation which I watched with no little amusement, wondering where his ammunition was to come from, inasmuch as he was perfecily naked, except the waist-belt, which supported his breech cloth, and a pair of moccasins. However, it did appear that a- small hollowed point of horn, stopped with a wooden plug, was in the said belt (as, indeed, w'ere his butcher-knife, flint, and touchwood), from which he put in a charge of powder, which he rammed down with some shreds of a reed, or inner bark ; then he took from his mouth a half-chewed bullet,* and, wrapping it in the same stuff, rammed it down also. * This method of making bullets is very common among the Indians who use guns. They will hunt all day with a piece of lead in their mouth, which they thus chew into form. Another object is hereby at- tained; if no water can be obtained, a piece of lead in the mouth excites LOSE MY PARTY. 312 The evening was drawing on, and the sky was dusk and gloomy ; so that, although the sun had not set, it was impossible to tell in what quarter of the heaven he might be. The Indian made signs that it was time to go to the lodges to eat and sleep. I now became aware, for the first time, that I was completely lost in my reck- onings, and had not the most remote idea in what direc- tion to look for my party ; for I had turned and wound about, and crept and run so much in pursuit of the ante- lopes, that I no longer knew north from south. It will be remembered that my jacket was left with my party, and in it was my compass ; while the dull heavy sky above promised no assistance from sun, moon, or star. I did -not like to expose my helpless condition to my companion, but, determining to extract from him all the information possible, asked him, by signs, what time of day he thought it might be ? He answered, in the same manner, about four or five o’clock.* My object was not to know the hour , which was not of the least importance, but to ascertain thus indirectly the exact bearings of east and west. Having done this, and compared, as ra- pidly as I could, several of the most remarkable knobs or heights to serve as landmarks, I asked him where his lodges were ? To my great satisfaction, he pointed near- ly east : I said I would go there, and eat. We proceeded accordingly, side by side. I kept a sharp eye upon this young Indian, who was a sly., ma- licious-looking chap, and resolved various plans for finding my own party. I hoped, however, that the Indians at the small camp to which he belonged might, the saliva, and relieves the pains of thirst. I have more than once used one of my own rifle-balls for this purpose, and have experienced muck, relief from so doing. * In expressing to one who cannot speak his language the hour of the day, an Indian bends the thumb and fore-finger of the right hand, so as to make a kind of crescent ; begins by directing them to the east ; then traces with them the sun’s path, giving slight jerks to indicate the divi- sion of hours, till he comes to a pause at the meridian. He then pro- ceeds, in like manner, till his fingers point to the western horizon : on this occasion four or five jerking and successive movements of the hand towards the west, after making the noon-pause, indicated the hour which I have mentioned in the text. Vol. I.— Dd 314 INDIAN CAMP. perchance, throw some light upon the subject ; for I was sure that they would be camped by a stream, and if our party had crossed it, their trail would not have been unobserved. At all events, it appeared more prudent to go and secure a supper, than to ramble all night about this waste, wiihout food, water, fire, or jacket. We walked on rapidly for two hours, when we came to a soft bank of grass, and my companion proposed that we should sit down and rest, to which I acceded. After a short time, we resumed our course ; and, ere long, arrived in sight of the small encampment, by the side of a large stream. Here I left my companion, and deter- mined to seek the principal lodge in the party, which my Pawnee experience enabled me at once to recognize by the shield and badge raised on the three poles before it. The children and dogs assailed me, as usual ; but I pass- ed on, and stopped opposite to the entrance of the lodge, where I gave the usual salutation, and remained only a moment standing, when the Indian made me a sign to come and sit down by him, which I obeyed in silence. I w’as very hungry, and saw with pleasure that my host was tolerably fat, and that neither of his squaws was very meagre in appearance. All this augured well for their kitchen discipline ; but, in conformity with their habits, I made no sign of wanting food. The man gave me a pipe, and, in a few minutes, a fine fat rib, hot from the fire, was placed before me. On this occasion my appe- tite must have done itself justice, for I picked the bone as clean as it could have been made by a prairie wolf. J^think these people had been with me in the great camp, but, not belonging to the band or quarter where I had lodged, they had only seen me at a distance ; although they knew that I had been with old Sa-m-tsa-rish, for I heard them say so. The squaws were very good- humoured and curious: they seemed much puzzled at my dress, for it was now late in the evening, and rather cold. I had only my blue cotton shirt : they felt it, then touched the skin of my throat, uttering a kind of “ ugh” of astonishment at its being so white and thin, in com- parison to their own dark and coarse cuticle. They asked me if I had not a horse, a blanket, or a buffalo- UNPLEASANT PREDICAMENT. 315 robe ? I said I had all of them, but they were waiting for me in the prairie. Finding the Indians in this lodge very good-natured and communicative, I began to prose- cute my investigations respecting my party ; but they knew nothing of them, neither had their trail been seen. CHAPTER XXIII. Unpleasant Predicament.— Set forth in Search of my Party. — Night Wanderings. — Rejoin my Friends. — Journey resumed. — Evening ' Camp. — Prairie Wolves. — Scotch Servant. — The American Lad. — Conversation with the Guide. — Enormous Rattlesnake. — Indian Ma- noeuvre. — Danger from Snakes. — An Antelope shot. — A Bath. — Our Feast.— Meeting with Pawnee Hunters. — Their Conference with our Guides. — Consultation with my Companions. — Desertion of the Guides. — Difficulties of our Situation. — Commencement of my Office as Guide. I now found myself in a very unpleasant predicament. My life, indeed, was not in much danger, because I might, probably, have been permitted to accompany these In- dians to the Pawnee villages on the Platte, where I might have waited until some trading party should go down the Missouri ; but my condition would not, in this case, be very enviable. With neither horse, clothes, nor blanket, and with a very small stock of ammunition, I was cer- tainly not well equipped for along journey and residence with the Pawnees ; neither did I think that my own party could get on very well without me, as V was crippled, and none of them were hunters. So I deter- mined to sally forth, and seek them at all risks. Fortunately, the clouds cleared away and the stars shone brightly ; I easily found the polar-star, and com- pared it with the fronting of the lodge, which I found correct as usual, due east. I then examined the course of the stream, and, in short, took all my bearings, both on earth and in the sky, as deliberately and as carefully as I could. The Indian thought I was making “ great medicine and when I pointed to the polar-star, he seemed evidently to know it, and said that the “ buffalo were now going that way but he could not make out what I had to do with it. 31 6 NIGHT WANDERINGS. As soon as I gave him to understand that I was going to set off on a night journey, he said, “ Ugh !” — it is not good !” and made me signs to wrap myself in one of his robes and sleep. He asked “ if I was tired.” - I told him, “No; I am strong.’^ He inquired “ where I was going.” I answered by signs that, “ before morning, I should rejoin my party and get my horses.” Indeed, I affected more confidence in this matter than I felt. I had made up my mind to walk all night, and all the following morning, in search of my party ; and if I could not find them, to come back to this camping-place, and follow the trail of these Indians, in order to reach them, as I might otherwise run a risk of perishing with cold and hunger. I made signs that it was very far, and asked if they would give me some meat to take with me, which they imme- diately did. Of thi3 I slung two or three slices to my waist-belt, and started on my night expedition, after thanking, with the warmest expressions and gestures, the inmates of the lodge, who were, indeed, the most simple good-natured Indians whom I had met with. I wished I had something better than thanks to give them ; but not being able to spare my shirt, I was obliged to forego that satisfaction. As I started, I took the precaution to examine care- fully the locks of my rifle, at which manoeuvre the old Indian gave another significant “ Ugh !” and we parted. The night being fresh, it was somewhat annoying that I was obliged (from the direction in which I calculated my parly to be) to cross the stream near which the Indians ■were encamped ; however, it did not wet me much above the knees, and I knew that I should not be likely to want exercise very soon. I walked as fast as I could, and ex- amined all the country near the main creek without suc- cess. I tried the higher ridges, and followed one, where the nature of the ground made it probable that another creek met the one which I bad left. I lay down re- peatedly, and put my ear to the ground, in hopes of hear- ing some sound which might guide me, but none met my ear, except the shrill, barking howl of the prairie wolves; and I found that, in that position I certainly could hear the noise of the little Indian camp farther than I could JOURNEY RESUMED. 317 when I stood up. I should think, however, that the as- sistance derivable from it must be greater on a level plain, than a hilly district, such as J was now crossing. This latter cast was more fortunate ; I had not long begun to descend the second ridge, when I perceived at a distance a glimmer of light and some smoke. As I drew near, I went carefully and stealthily forward, for fear it might be a party of strange Indians, and that I might be discovered by some of their scouts : but I soon found, to my great joy, that it was the camp of my own friends. They had begun to feel much alarmed at my long absence, but had very wisely remained by the place first agreed upon, trusting to my being thus enabled more easily to find them. I told them of my having fallen in, and supped with, a small Pawnee party ; but I did not tell them how completely I had been lost, and with what anxious fears of not rejoining them I had been rambling- over the prairie : because I was ashamed of having acted ■with so little carefulness and prudence. On the 13th, we started early, and travelled about ten miles, in a wet, thick fog, accompanied by a raw driz- zling rain and wind from the north-east. In short, it was such weather as we often experience in Britain about the end of February — course, east-south-east. At noon, the weather improved, and we camped by a small creek, which we believed to be one of the tributaries of the Kanzas. Here, again, we enjoyed an excellent meal of buffalo meat, seasoned with a few flour cakes fried in bacon. In the afternoon, we proceeded as usual, till dusk ; camped by the same creek ; secured our horses — lighted our fire — boiled some coffee, and smoked a pipe. At this place, musquitoes were very plentiful, but we had become somewhat indifferent to them. We were lulled to rest by a pack of prairie wolves, howling on a small hill on the other side of the creek. These animals seemed so bold and hungry, that, by the advice of the guide, we fastened our horses at no great distance from the fire ; and a loaded rifle was kept constantly ready to protect them, in case of any alarm during the night. 14th. — Endeavoured to start at daybreak; but my Scotch servant could not learn to balance or fasten a pack Dd* 318 ENORMOUS RATTLE-SNAKE. on a horse ; and his slow awkwardness cost us repeated and vexatious delays, as we were so frequently obliged to stop and repack the animal of which he had charge. This man was a willing and well-conducted servant in civilized life, but Nature had not formed him for a prairie hunter. Our American lad improved every day in ac- tivity and readiness, and his good-humour and spirits gave 'me much satisfaction. As for poor V- , he could sit on his horse and eat his dinner ; but he still suffered a good deal from his bruises, and could not 3ml walk : his arm was in a sling. I found that one of our horses was lame — several werfe rather sore in the back — and 1 recommended both the attendants to walk at least half the day’s journey, as we could not tell what urgent necessity for a fresh horse half an hour might create. I went this morning, on foot, about fourteen miles with the guide, chatting with him in broken Pawnee, filled up with signs. I observed upon referring to my compass, that he was going north-east-; and, upon asking him the reason, he pointed to the east, and said that there was no water there for us to camp by. The country we w’ere now crossing was a succession of barren sandy ridges. Before us, at the distance of half a mile, I remarked a creek ; and, on asking the guide its name, was told that it was called Snake river.* He informed us, by signs, that we must be cautious, for it was full of rattle-snakes. While I was walking be- side him, talking in this way, he gave a sudden yell, so shrill and piercing, that, as if by instinct, I knew it was a warning, and leaped on one side as far as I could spring. On looking for the cause of this sudden cry, I saw, in the very spot where my next step w r ould have placed my leg, an enormous rattle-snake ; his head rear- * In the Pawnee, as in other Indian languages, the substantive is frequently varied in preference to using an adjective ; thus, water in a bowl, or pot for drinking, in a pond, running or river water, and rain water, are all distinct and separate words. The same is observable in many nouns, as a female child — a girl from seven to eleven — a young girl (come to years of puberty) — a young married woman, and an old married woman, are also different words in some languages ; as are.,, also, generally, elder and younger brother. INDIAN MANOEUVRE. 319 ed, and his folds coiled below him, ready for a spring. He was giving me, too, all the warning in his power ; for he was rattling so clearly and loudly, that it was wonder- ful to me l had not heard him. I was just about to kill him, but the guide stopped my aim — pointed gravely to the sky and to himself, and indicated to me that it was against his “ medicine.”* Accordingly, I desisted ; re- flecting that, in all probability, neither I, nor any other white man, would ever hear his rattle again ; and that killing one, in a place which was crowded by thousands, could be of little use. After we had walked on a few hundred yards, we were about to descend a small narrow ravine, full of broken heaps of sandstone, overgrown with coarse herbs and grasses. The Indian told me to go straight on in that direction, as he wished to remain behind for a moment. I thought that in such a rough narrow place, where In- dian file was necessarily to be observed, the leader of the party had a better chance of being bitten by a snake than any of those who followed ; and I moreover thought that the same idea struck my friend the guide ; but I took no notice of it farther than to tell him that, being in no hurry, I would wait for him. The quiet sly expression of his face did not alter ; but I cannot help thinking he was aware that I saw through his manoeuvre. Accord- ingly, he began to pick his way carefully down the ravine. My servant, in the rear, had about this time a very nar- row escape from another snake. I thought it better to mount my horse, and recommended the others to do the same, although the place was very rough and unpleasant for riding, owing to the quantity of loose sandstone and high coarse grass. I never should have believed it pos- sible that so many rattlesnakes could have assembled together as I saw in that ravine. I think there must have been nearly enough to fatten a drove of Missouri hogs.f * This same prejudice exists in several bands of the Osagcs and Delawares, as well as among other tribes in the more remote regions. t It is well known that, in the western states, where rattle-snakes are still plentiful, the hogs kill and eat them ; nor is their bite formidable to their swinish enemy, on whom its venomous fangs seem to produce 320 A BAT1I. As soon as we emerged from this ravine, I dismounted and rejoined the guide, from whom, ere long, I heard the well-known “ Ugh !” which accompanies the sudden presentation of any new object to the eye of an Indian ; and, following the direction of his finger, saw two or three antelopes browsing on a hill side to windward of us. As they had not yet seen our party, I halted it, and told them to lie down, while I would try and stalk one. After creeping for some distance, I came within about a hundred and twenty yards of one, but could get no •nearer from the nature of the ground. However, I took a steady aim, and was fortunate enough to hit ; but the antelope went off on three legs, and, after a tiresome pursuit, I found that they were still fleeter than my two. So I thought I would try another fashion, and, selecting a commanding situation on a high knoll, sat down to watch him from a distance. This plan succeeded ; for as soon as he saw that he was unpursued, he slackened his pace, and, after going about half a mile, lay down. I could distinctly observe all his movements with my telescope. Having carefully noted the ground near him, to assist me in creeping up, and allowed time for the wound to become stiff, I again went after him ; and, having succeeded in getting unobserved within fifty or sixty yards, another shot terminated the chase. The rest of the party now came up, and the dissection of the little deer did not occupy much time. We carried him off to the banks of the creek ; and while the feast was preparing, I determined to enjoy the luxury of a bath and a change of clothes, the latter having been a very rare metamorphosis of late, and the suit which I wore being full of the filthy Pawnee body-guard , which still clung to all our clothes and buffalo robes. I was surprised to find the water of this stream so ex- tremely salt ; notwithstanding which our horses drank it with such avidity that we were afraid of their injuring themselves, and with the greatest difficulty drove them from it. The sun was now intensely hot ; there was no no effect. It is owing to this well-known fact, that families resident in those districts conceive that hogs’ lard must be a kind of antidote to their poison, and frequently use it (I believe successfully) as a remedy. CONSULTATION. 321 shelter from its rays during the process of the bath or toilet ; but altogether I felt it to be a great comfort and luxury, and as soon as it was over went in high spirits to our camping-place, where the antelope was already dressed, and we commenced our feast. Ere this was half despatched, a number of buffalo came rolling and bounding over the small hills before our our camping-place, in such confusion and at such speed that we were immediately aware of their being closely pursued ; and in a few minutes two or three hunters ap- peared. As soon as they saw our party they halted to examine it: our two Indians talked together, and instantly recognized the new-comers as Pawnees. I wa3 much vexed at the reappearance of these fellows, for it seem- ed as if we should never get rid of them : the propinquity of these straggling parties, unchecked by any responsible chief, is sometimes dangerous, and never desirable. They made signs to our guides to go and speak with them : a request with which they immediately complied. I did not like the circumstance of these hunters keep- ing so studiously aloof from us ; neither did I much ap- prove of the conference of suspicious duration which they held with our guides. When the latter returned, they were silent and sulky ; their countrymen gallopped off, and were soon lost in the distance. I could easily perceive that some very sudden as well as strong im- pression had been produced by this talk," and by ob- serving and listening to them as they whispered together, while I pretended to speak to V , I became con- vinced that they intended to desert us. The short bu.t significant answers which I received to one or two care- less questions which I put, convinced me of the truth of my suspicions. I therefore summoned a council of war, and communicated these unpleasant occurrences to V , and to the two attendants. I told them, that in these circumstances, where our lives might depend upon the decision we should adopt, I considered we were all equal in rank, and each had as influential a voice as his neighbour ; that they must be prepared very soon to de- cide whether we should return to the Pawnee village with these rascally guides, or endeavour to reach Fort Leaven- 322 DESERTION OF GUIDES. worth without them ; and I professed my own willing- ness to adopt either alternative which the majority might prefer. After a short consultation, they were unanimous iu their decisions against returning to the Pawnees. The recollection of the filth, the vermin, and other nuisances, to which they must return, besides the very doubtful nature of the reception we might meet with, now that we had expended all our trading articles, and the terms of open dislike on which we had parted from the two most powerful chiefs — all these were conclusive argu- # ments against the expediency of revisiting the Pawnees; while the other alternative presented, it is true, great risks and difficulties, but of a vague and unascertained nature. As soon as this question was decided, I told them that one of our party must take upon himself the office and the whole responsibilities of a guide, because, if every one’s opinion was taken as to routes, directions, and bearings, we should never reach the settlements ; and I asked if any of them wished to undertake the task. They all said they wished me to undertake it myself. I agreed to do so, upon the repeated condition that I was to conduct them as I pleased and whither I pleased ; to choose the length and the line of march ; and that there was to be neither dispute nor contradiction as long as I retained the office. Having settled these preliminaries, in order to be pre- pared for what I expected, I desired the Indian, as usual, to catch one of the horses, as it was time to pursue our march. He answered shortly, sulkily, and quite dis- tinctly, that he would not; and upon my making the sign that I wished him to explain himself, he said he would not go any farther — that he and his companion would go back to their people — that it was bad to proceed, and they would not do it. J confess I felt very much tempted to tie these two rascals up, and give them a good flogging (for our party was strong enough to do it) ; but I thought it more prudent to let them alone; for as soon as they could get away and collect a band of Pawnees, they would certainly have followed our trail to take revenge. I never could thoroughly understand the motives DIFFICULT SITUATION. 323 which actuated them on this occasion : that their resolu- tion was occasioned by their talk with the other Indians was quite evident ; but I know not whether they had been told that the great chief was angry with them for guiding us, and would punish them if they went on ; or that hostile war-parties were out in the country which we were about to traverse ; or that, by refusing to pro- ceed, they would place us in so awkward and helpless a predicament that we should double their promised re- ward, and agree to any terms which they might propose. Whichever of these reasons influenced their conduct, they certainly were not a little surprised at the cool in- difference with which V and I received the an- nouncement of their intentions. We desired our white attendants to catch and pack the horses. I then turned to the two Indians ; and, with the most contemptuous expression of countenance and gesture that I could com- mand, told them “ that they were bad men, liars, and squaws, and they must immediately get up and leave my camp.” As they were so unprepared for this turn of affairs, they hesitated a moment, and I repeated to them more loudly the order to “go and tell Sa-m-tsa-rish that they were liars and squaws. ’ They muttered something to each other, inaudible to me, and slunk off, leaving us seated with great dignity and apparent ease. As soon as they were out sight, I confess that the perils and difficulties of our situation pressed themselves most forcibly on my mind, and the responsibility that I had incurred seemed heavy and serious indeed. I re- membered that I had undertaken to guide our little party through six or seven hundred miles of barren unknown wilderness, where I knew not whether we might find water for ourselves and horses — where we were liable, at any hour of the day or night, to be fallen upon by some roving band of strange Indians, and where, if we lost any time by deviating from our right course, our pro- visions might fail, and we might find nothing wherewith the rifle could supply their place. All these reflections suggested themselves in rapid succession to my mind, but I felt how vitally necessary were energy and decision 324 DIFFICULT SITUATION. of action. The very feeling of the responsibility of my charge gave me excitement, and I felt a strong and buoyant confidence that, unless some unfortunate acci- dent occurred, I could conduct the party without any great deviation to the fort : so, with my telescope, com- pass, and rifle ready for use, I rode on a hundred yards ahead, and began my career as guide. T /povpu^ (erelag) prjKoc, t]V noip/opevoz Kvvog biKTjv . aarpuv Karotda WKTcpuv bprjyvpiv nai tov? (pipovrac x E ^ a Kai Oepo^ (3p6roi(; ha/Lnrpoi’c dwaarag — epTrpETrovrag aWepi , k. t. X, AN INDIAN SCENE AT A DISTANCE. 31 our residence in the wilderness, convince me that the savages pay the greatest attention to this matter. In a wide extent of country composed of a succession of hills and ridges, it is evident there must be a great num- ber of steep banks, which offer to an inexperienced tra- veller numerous obstacles, rendering his own progress most toilsome, and that of loaded pack-horses almost impossible. If these ridges all ran in parallel lines, and were regular in their formation, nothing would be more simple than to get upon the summit of one, and keep it for the whole day’s journey : but such is not the case ; they constantly meet other ridges running in a transverse direction ; and, of course, large dips and ravines are con- sequent upon that meeting. The “ dividing ridge ” of a district is that which, while it is as it were the back-bone of the range of which it forms apart, heads at the same time all the transverse ravines, whether on the right or on the left hand, and thereby spares to the traveller an infinity of toilsome ascent and desaent. I have sometimes observed that an Indian trail wound through a country in a course perfectly serpentine, and appeared to me to travel three miles when only one was necessary. It was not till my own practical experience had made me attend more closely to this matter, that I learned to appreciate its importance. I think that the first quality in a guide through an unknown range of roll- ing prairie, is having a good and quick eye for hitting off the “ dividing ridge the second perhaps, in the western wilderness, is a ready and almost intuitive perception (so often found in an Indian) of the general character of a country, so as to be able to bring his party to water when it is very scarce. My other reason for pursuing a course rather more northerly than the direct compass line to the fort, was, that it would bring me sooner to the Kanzas river, and as soon as I could see that, I felt sure that we should reach the settlements in safety, whatever inconvenience we might experience from scant provisions or rough weather. A little before noon, I halted for a moment to give the rest of the party time to come up, and made a careful ex- 32 INDIAN TRAILS* amination of the surrounding country from an elevated point on which I was seated. I could see no buffalo ; but with my telescope could make out several small herds of antelopes, very far from our course. I spied also a .man on horseback, at a very great distance, on a sloping range to the westward ; he seemed to be going in a diagonal direction to the north-west, and as far as I could make out, he was an Indian, wearing a blanket ; he evidently had not seen or took no notice of our party. Indeed it was hardly possible for him to see us with the naked eye, as I could see him but very indistinctly with my glass. However, I thought it might be as well to halt until he disappeared over the distant sky line of the hill. This I did, because I wished to keep clear of all Indians, whether friendly or hostile ; and it is well known that an object at a distance which is not perceptible to the eye while at rest., may be easily discerned as soon as it is put in motion. A few miles farther we crossed an old Indian trail (I think it was of a Pawnee party, for it bore north by west, which must have been about the direction of their village from this spot) ; it had not been a war-party, as was evi- dent from the character of the trail. A war-party leaves only the trail of the horses, or, of course, if it be a foot party, the still lighter tracks of their own feet; but when they are on their summer hunt, or migrating from one region to another, they take their squaws and children with them, and this trail can always be distinguished from the former, by two parallel tracks about three and a half feet apart, not unlike those of a light pair of wheels: these are made by the points of the long curved poles on which their lodges are stretched, the thickest or butt ends of which are fastened to each side of the pack- saddle, while the points trail behind the horse ; in cross- ing rough or boggy places, this is often found the most inconvenient part of an Indian camp equipage. After marching for an hour or two, we came to a large stream, bearing in this part of its course east-norih-east. I determined to follow this as far as it might prove fa- vourable to our destination. We proceeded along its margin twelve or fourteen miles, without meeting with CULINARY INVENTION. 33 any buffalo ; indeed, the fresh trails of these animals, and other indications of them were here so scarce that I did not expect to fall in with any of them. We saw a num- ber of antelopes : I made several unsuccessful attempts to entice them to approach ; but my horse was too hard- worked, and the day too hot, to admit of my going out of my way in pursuit of them. At noon we halted near a point where -one or two muddy creeks joined the stream which we had been fol- lowing, and seemed likely to impede our farther pro- gress : the banks of these were covered with half-ripe grapes and plums, a luxury so new and rendered so tempting, by the heat and toil of the journey, that we ate them too eagerly. If I mistake not, more than one of the party had cause to repent of having deserted the honest buffalo-soup for these sour fruits. I must own, how- ever, that when we did find any that were ripe, they were most grateful and refreshing to the palate. Here again I displayed my genius for culinary inven- tion, for I determined to have a second course to our dinner; and after each of the party had brought his hat and pockets full of plums, I selected some of the ripest, and bruised them in one of our pots, added sugar and a little water, and upon this great experiment we agreed to lavish a glass of our remaining half bottle of brandy, which we also threw in, and allowed the whole to sim- mer over the fire for a quarter of an hour. By what name this strange mess should be called I know not ; but whether pudding, tart, or stewed plums, we voted it ex- cellent, although there was still left in it acid and bitter enough to make an English schoolboy draw up the cor- ners of his mouth and eyes and vote it execrable, unless under one of two circumstances — namely, that of having stolen it, or of having concocted it himself ; either of which would make the urchin relish gall stewed in vinegar ! While the rest of the party were preparing and fasten- ing the packs, I went to explore our fari her route. The muddy creeks which I before mentioned, were so wind- ing, that even crossing them, which was not easy, would be no security against having to repeat the same opera- tion a dozen times : reflecting that other parties, either 34 INDIAN TRAIL. biped or quadruped, must have come to this impractica- ble labyrinth of water before me, I determined lo search for some track by which I might guide my course. This experiment succeeded beyond my utmost hopes, for I was fortunate enough to find an Indian trail bearing north by east, which was as near to our destined course as these odious creeks would permit us to go. We struck into it, and it brought us safely, though not without diffi- culty, through the tangled and muddy bottom in which we had been involved : sometimes a horse floundered, and more than once a pack came off; but upon the whole we had great reason to congratulate ourselves upon having found this trail, by which we escaped in two hours from a place which would, without its assistance, probably have detained us two days. I was by no means anxious to part with so good a friend, and proceeded some miles upon this same trail ; it was very old and indistinct, especially in the high and dry parts of the prairie. I left my horse with the rest of the party and went on foot, in order that I might more easily follow the trail, which became almost impercepti- ble as we reached an elevated district of table-land, which had been burnt so close that I very often lost the track altogether for fifty yards. If a fire takes place on a prairie where there is already a distinct trail, it is as easy to follow it, if not more so than before ; because the short and beaten grass offering no food to the fire, partly escapes its fury, and remains a green line upon a sea of black; but if the party making the trail pass over a prairie which is already burnt, on the succeeding season when the new grass has grown, it can scarcely be traced by any eye but that of an Indian. As this last was the condition of the trail we were now following, I resorted to an expedient which partly suc- ceeded : this was lo divide our party and make them go abreast twenty or thirty yards apart ; thus, when one missed the trail another would hit upon it, and give notice of his success. In this manner we proceeded till three or four o’clock, p. m. We had by this time observed that the party whose trail we were following had, in many places, straggled as we were doing, which rendered the INDIAN TRAIL. 35 tracing them very difficult ; and on a barren hard elevated ridge, which we had to pass, we were obliged to give it up altogether ; however, we were fortunate enough to see a large creek in the plain below us, to which we bent our way and encamped. While my companions prepared the supper, I again set forth in search of the lost trail, knowing that by fol- lowing the course of the creek I must in time reach the place where the party had passed it ; and I could not fail there to distinguish it, because it is always strongly marked on the softer soil and richer vegetation on the banks of a stream. Jt was the more desirable to discover it, because I was thereby sure of finding a practicable crossing place : whereas, in the neighbourhood of our encampment, the creek was muddy and deep, with banks so soft and tangled with brushwood, as to prevent the possibility of crossing it with pack-horses. After a long and patient search, 1 came to the long sought trail, which was about three miles to the west of our camp, and so much higher up the stream. The Indian patty had evidently found the only place where it was fordable by horses, for a distance of some miles; and on examining the track close by, I found that they had consisted of a large number of mounted men, and had halted near this spot at mid-day, but had not passed the night there. It requires no great experience or observation of Indian life to enable a prairie traveller to distinguish a mid-day from a night camping-place : in the former he will often find some cut branches under which the party had shel- tered themselves from the heat, of the noon sun ; in the latter, generally some scraps of charred wood, or round marks in the grass, showing where a fire had been made. Even where neither of these indications exists, there are others equally clear to a practised eye; and comparing these together, an Indian will make a very shrewd guess at the number, both of the party itself and their horses, whether the former were all male or of both sexes, how many days have elapsed since they passed, whether they made a short or a long halt, and to what tribe or nation they belonged. I now returned in high spirits to the camp, and forgot 36 SEARCH FOR OUR HORSES. the toils of the day in a good supper and refreshing sleep. In the morning we were much annoyed at missing our horses; in vain we went to the top of the nearest hill, not a trace of them was to be seen. I began to fear that they had been driven off by Indians, or that they had taken our back trail. The latter was more probable, as none of the watchers pleaded guilty of having slept. An examination of the ground near which they had been turned out to feed over night confirmed this belief, as we could distinctly track them in that direction as far as the ground was soft. But I observed with great vexa- tion that they had certainly gone off early, as the dew had fallen since their hoof-prints had been left. There was no remedy now but a general search ; and leaving one of the party to guard the camp, the remaining three set off in pursuit. I cautioned the other two on no ac- count to follow so carelessly or so far as to lose them- selves in attempting to find the horses ; and we agreed to keep as much as possible on the heights, in order that we might inform each other by signals, in case of success. After a long and tedious search, we overtook the fugi- tives going deliberately back on our trail of the previous day, led by a cunning old Indian nag, which almost al- ways contrived to slip his hobbles, even when they were tied tight enough to scarify the skin on his legs. Some were still hobbled, and moving along in the ungainly kind of walking canter or kangaroo gait., which a horse must adopt when he wishes lo travel with his legs tied together. Fortunately they had fed a little by the way, or we might have had the pleasure of following them thirty miles in- stead of five or six. We drove them back lo the camp ; and I could not help apostrophizing my faithful roan, and asking her how she could be such a fool as to add a dozen miles to her own and her master’s journey for the day, and to allow herself to be led away from her home- course by an ignorant uncivilized Pawnee pack-horse. On the 19th we still followed the Indian trail, with some difficulty, but without meeting with any accident or serious obstacle. We saw a few wolves, antelopes, and some very large rattle-snakes ; we also picked up a MUSQUITOES A JUNGLE. 37 mocassin, which had been dropped near the trail ; from its material (elk-skin) and fashion, it was evident that the party had not been Pawnees : but none of us were suffi- ciently experienced to pronounce to what tribe they belonged. I calculated that we made this day twenty miles, beside our morning horse-hunt ; average course, east-north-east. May 20th. — The creek by which we had camped was low, and we were devoured by musquitoes. They seemed to care neither for fire nor tobacco smoke ; but we had become so accustomed to their attacks as to be nearly indifferent to them. As for myself, when I slept, I was armed in proof against them ; having no blanket, I rolled myself up in my highland plaid, which com- pletely covered my head and face, and was at the same time of such fine texture as not to annoy me by im- peding respiration. After we had travelled about five hours (course north- east by east), I found that theTrail which we had been following, merged in another and a larger one, which appeared to run a point to the west of north. This was so far out of our course that I hesitated whether I should not leave it altogether; but, upon reflection, I determined not to do so, remembering that it must lake us to the Republican Fork;* whereas, if I attempted to cross the country farther to the eastward, without any trail, I should meet with serious difficulties and delays from the dense thickets which seemed in this district to abound in the bottoms ; where also I should lose much time in finding passable fords in the sleep-banked muddy creeks which we should be obliged to cross. Moreover, I thought that, if the party whose trail I had been following, and who were evidently bound to the eastward, (being probably Delawares, Shawnees, or Kickapoos,) had thought fit to take this sudden bend to the north, there was probably a reason for it which a few miles travel might explain. I therefore struck into it, and ere long the result justified my conjecture for we came to a wooded bottom or valley, which was such a *A branch of the Kanzas river- Vol. IT.— D 38 AMUSING PERPLEXITY. complete jungle, and so extensive, that I am sure, if we had not been guided by the trail, we could not have made our way through it in a week. As it was, the task was no easy one ; for the trail, though originally large, was not very fresh, and the weeds and branches had in many places so overgrown it, that I was obliged to dismount and trace it out on foot. It wound about with a hundred serpentine evolutions to avoid the heavy swamps and marshes around us ; and I repeatedly thought that, if we lost it, we never should extricate our baggage : even with its assistance, we were obliged frequently to halt and replace the packs, which were violently forced off by the branches with which they constantly came in contact. On emerging from this jungle, it appeared as if our predecessors had been as glad as we were to escape from it ; for they had evidently scattered themselves in every direction, to halt and make their fires. As I wished to make no farther stop until our night-camp, I pushed on in a northerly direction, convinced that I should ere long strike the trail of the same party which I had been following.* I was here much amused by an incident which proved to me that my companions (or some of them at least) would have made strange work of the office of guide, had no cne else relieved them of it. I had become so accustomed to direct my course by the sun, by the bearings of the country, &c., that I did not use my com- pass so often as I had previously done ; and on leaving this great thicket, I went straight on in a northerly direction without consulting it. The two attendants were following close behind me, talking together, and I heard one of them say to the other in a most doleful voice, “ Where on earth is he taking us now ? — why we * In following the trail of a large body of men, an inexperienced guide finds great difficulty in striking it after coming to a place where they have camped, for paths are running in every direction ; some to where the horses had been pastured, others to the nearest water, &c. The safest way to avoid becoming hereby confused is to pay no atten- tion to the ground marks, but to keep straight on in the general direction which the trail had borne previous to reaching the camping-place, and then a very short time spent in examining the ground will be sufficient to enable him to hit it off again. APPROACH TO T1IE KANZAS. 39 are going back in the same direction as we came !” I turned round and asked the speaker where he thought our true course lay, telling him to point with his finger to the quarter which he would make for if he were guiding the party to Fort Leavenworth. He did so ; and I 'took out my compass and showed him that he was pointing south-west, i. e. to Santa Fe and the Gulf of California : so completely had the poor fellow’s head be- come puzzled by the winding circuit which we had made in the swamp. I now rode on in great spirits ; for I felt sure that we were approaching that Kanzas river, which had been so long and so repeatedly sighed for by all the party, as the point at which all our risks from Indians, or from starv- ing, or losing our way, were to cease. Many reasons concurred to make me believe that we could not be very far from it : first, It was about the place where I ex- pected to find it, upon comparing the distance and direction we had travelled, with our outward route and with the information received from the Indians before we left them : and, secondly, The increased fertility of the soil and luxuriance of vegetation, together with the increased size of the creeks and of the timber in the bottoms which we crossed, convinced me that we were not far from the course of the main river. Having found the trail again, I rode on a mile ahead of the party; and on reaching a high point over which it passed, I saw be- fore me, in a large valley, a long bending line of heavy massive timber already clothed in the varied tints of early autumn, — one look sufficed to tell me that it was the Kanzas. I threw myself from my horse to contemplate the long- wished-for prospect. I felt that the worst of our dan- gers and difficulties were past. I trust I also felt and expressed myself grateful to Him who had enabled me to bring my little party to this point of comparative safety — who had spared us the privations of hunger and thirst, and the pangs of disease which might have resulted from such constant exposure to the extremes of heat by day and chilly wet by night, and who had enabled us to pursue our 40 REMAINS OF AN INDIAN VILLAGE. course without error, and without falling in with any bands of hostile Indians by the way. While I was yet full of these thoughts, the rest of the party approached, and I raised the Pawnee yell, pointed, to the valley, and shouted aloud “ The Kanzas !” They rushed forward and satisfied their longing eyes with one look. I know not that ever I saw men more extravagant in demonstration of joy than we all became : we danced, we sung, and called aloud the name of the Kanzas with more enthusiasm than was ever vented by the wildest German youth on his beloved Rhine. Although it had rained all day, and we were soaked to the skin, we were in such high spirits as to defy the inclemency of the weather > and, indeed, it mattered little whether we were now wet or dry ; for the Kanzas was before us, and I determined, if possible, to camp this night on the other side of it. In descending toward the river, we came to a spot commanding a beautiful view of its course, where there had evidently once been a permanent Indian village. I know not exactly to what tribe it may have belonged, but probably to some band or branch of the Pawnees, because that nation had lived on the Kanzas, about fifty miles to the west of the spot where we now were, before their last war with the Uni- ted States; in which the troops of the latter had sacked and completely destroyed their village, and forced them to establish themselves in the more remote region water- ed by the Platte, and to cede the territory through which we were now passing, in consideration of certain pay- ments of goods, according to the terms of a treaty to which I have before referred. I remember, on our out- ward course, one of the Indians pointed out to me the site of their old village, and shook his head very dole- fully, saying at the same time many words which I could not understand ; but which, doubtless signified that it had been a sad affair for the Pawnees. When we got down into the heavily timbered bottom near the river, the trail divided into a hundred branches, showing that the party had either separated to rest or to seek for the best crossing-place. The former I recom- CROSSING THE RIVER. 41 mended lo my companions, while I immediately set about the latter. After a tedious and patient search, I found the place where the main trail entered the water, but with the most careful observation of the opposite bank, I was unable to see any signs of its continuation on that side. While with the Indians, I had remarked that, in order to avoid deep water, they sometimes went a long way up or down the course of a river ; but even with the help of my telescope, I could see no sign of the continu- ation of our trail. Of course, my office of guide left me no choice as to whether I should try and discover the ford ; though the experiment was not agreeable, as the river was from one hundred and fifty to two hundred yards wide, and so swollen and muddy from the present and late rain, that it was not easy to ascertain its depth otherwise than by sounding. I must confess that I am but an indifferent swimmer in a strong stream, although I did not on this occasion feel any doubt of being able to get across a channel of so in- considerable a length. Arming myself with a long pole, and throwing off my jacket, I went in. I was soon over the middle, before I got half way across, was up to the chest, and could not keep my feet, owing lo the strength of the current ; so I struck out, swam a few strokes, and tried again for the bottom, but could not touch it : I there- fore thought it better to swim till I was near the bank, as this was evidently the deep part of the channel.. I did so, and came safe to land. After another tedious search for the trail, I found it about three hundred yards below the place where I had crossed. I now entered the water again, and with some trouble made out the ford, and re- turned to conduct my companions and the baggage. By feeling the way carefully with my pole, and winding along a kind of ridge, which appeared to be in the bed of the river, I was able to get them over without their getting wet much above the middle and of the animals, I believe only the mule and one of the horses were obliged to swim a short distance. The wetting hereby incurred was of little consequence to ourselves or baggage, for the river only completed what the rain had performed almost as successfully. D* 42 SUCCESSFUL EXPEI/IENF. And as soon as we were all safe on* the north side, we were obliged to camp immediately, as it was growing dark, and all the activity we possessed was required to collect fire-wood, and endeavour to make a good fire for the night. We fortunately found an old Indian camp ; some of the bent willows, over which the skins had been spread, were still in the ground,* and a few remnants of half-char- red wood were scattered about ; but even with these ad- vantages, it is inconceivable the trouble which we had to kindle a fire ; the grass and the wood were so saturated with water, that, although we once or twice succeeded in igniting the tinder, we could find nothing to which we could make it communicate fire nor do I think that we should have succeeded, had I not thought of a new pa- tent kind of grate which does the highest honour to my ingenuity : this was nothing less than our frying-pan. After rubbing it quite dry, and throwing a skin over the willows to prevent the heavy rain from falling into it, we split some old wood, got a few dry chips from the heart, and built our miniature bonfire in the centre of the fry- ing-pan. The expedient succeeded perfectly : as soon as we had got four or five square inches of wood fairly into a blaze, we transferred it carefully to the ground below the warming-pan, and by careful addition of fuel; and constant application of human bellows, we soon had a very respectable fire, and made a pot of hot soup, which the fatigues and constant soaking to which we had been all day exposed, rendered most acceptable. * I believe that the simple method of making a tent or covering, by stretching mats or skins over pliant sticks of wood, the two ends of which are fastened in the ground, is common to all the vagrant and no- madic tribes on the earth : I have seen them used among many various Indian nations, resembling exactly those made by the wandering gyp- sies in England. UNCOMFORTABLE NIGHT. 43 CHAPTER III. Uncomfortable Night. — Our wretched Appearance and forlorn Costume. — Unceasing Rain. — Symptoms of Ague. — Fruitless Hunt. — Conso- lation in Disappointment. — Pursuit of the Northern Trail. — Lucky Discovery. — Arrival at our old Camping-place. — Diminution of our Provisions. — Forced Marches. — Pursuit of a Flock of Turkeys and a Fawn. — A gray Badger shot and eaten. — A Thunder-storm. — Re- lics of our former Halting-place. — Our miserable Plight. — Grouse, or Prairie-hen. — Unsuccessful Search for Deer. — A Tangled District. — Privations. — March resumed. — Vicissitudes of Temperature. — Mer- riment of the younger John. — Indian Trails. — Horse-flies. — Flowers of the Prairie. — Approach to the Missouri. — Welcome Signs of Ci- vilization. — An Amusing Difficulty. — Hospitable Reception at the Fort. July 22d. — I do not remember ever to have spent a more uncomfortable night than the last : it rained with- out ceasing, and the most constant exertion was requi- site to prevent the fire from being quite extinguished. As it was, instead of a blaze, it emitted a kind of sultry, cheerless glare, and, instead of heat, a hissing, frizzing sound, with volumes of smoke. We w T ere lying in the same clothes in which we had crossed the river, and the rain was so continuous, that we were actually in puddles * of water. Buffalo-skins, when thoroughly drenched, are the most cold, soapy, comfortless covering that can be used : so that I was warmer, when wrapped only in my light highland plaid, than under the thickest robe in our collection. We contrived, however, by the help of dou- ble and treble folds of the fly-tent, to keep our powder, flour, and some of the provisions, tolerably dry. Blow- ing and feeding the fire was our only occupation all the night, and all the following day ; hot soup was our only consolation ! Indeed, I never saw a more ragged, wretch- ed, vagabond group than we now appeared ; and I regret very much that there was no artist present, who could give a faithful sketch of us in our various costumes, as we sat huddled round our dim and smoky fire, each en- 44 OUR WRETCHED APPEARANCE. deavouring to extract a small blaze to warm some fa- voured part of his person. My companion V , whose last pair of trousers had yielded to the combined influence of time and hard rid- ing, was dressed in a pair of shrivelled, tight, wash- leather drawers, no stockings, and a pair of mocassins over his feet, while his shoulders were enveloped in a blanket which covered the remains of what had been shirt and jacket. I was sitting with an old woollen co- loured nightcap on my head, a faded shirt of printed cali- co, without a neckcloth, and with beard and mustaches of unshorn, irregular growth; while my nether man was protected by a pair of coarse corduroy breeches without drawers, and plastered to my skin with wet ; gray worst- ed stockings full of holes, and shoes full of water. Our two attendants were no bad companions to the pre- ceding portraits, especially my Scotch servant, who add- ed to the picturesque scarcity of his habiliments, a vi- sage of most dolorous and ridiculous length. The pas- sage through the late thickets had literally torn to shreds what had once been a pair of cloth trousers, and his knees and shins, thus exposed to view, bore many marks of the greetings which they had met from various kinds of brushwood. No less ragged was the dirty blanket which enveloped his shoulders ; and his condition would have moved pity rather than mirth, had it not been for *the determination he evinced to be miserable, which con- trasted strongly with the good-humoured efforts of the younger lad to make the best of the case, and to cheer himself and the rest of the party with such sallies of mirth and hope as naturally arose out of our condition. Among these, none were more frequent than his antici- pations of the havoc he would make (as soon as we reached the Fort) among his mother’s buckwheat cakes, and “the sort of way” in which he would dip his muz- zle into a great bowl of buttermilk ! On the 23d, our condition was yet more pitiable ! It bad rained throughout the preceding day and night, mak- ing in all nearly forty-eight hours that we ourselves, with all our clothes and the greater part of our baggage, had been soaked in wet. It seemed impossible that we CONSOLATION. 45 should escape colds, rheumatism, ague, el hoc genus omne ; indeed, 1 heard around me sundry complaints of a sensation of shivering, and of severe pains in the bones ; but, upon the whole, the health of the party, con- sidering the circumstances, was most surprising. As for myself, I did not suffer any pain or annoyance whatever ; I managed to keep myself \farm during the day by mov- ing about, collecting and carrying wood, nursing the fire, &c. ; and at night, placing my feet close to it, and wrap- ped in my highland plaid, I slept as soundly as if I had been in a dry bed. About noon, the weather cleared, and we began to dry our meat, baggage, &c. The lad took a ramble with his fowling-piece, and saw some turkeys and three elks, but he could not get near enough for a shot ; so he returned and asked me to go in search of them with him. I took my rifle and went to the spot, but we could see nothing more of- the game : we found the track of the elks, but they had evidently been alarmed by his previous visit, for their slot indicated speed. In returning to our camp, I saw nothing but an old crane fishing in a shallow part of the river. I believe I was moved as much by spite and disappointment at my fruitless hunt, as by a wish to discharge my rifle, which had been too long loaded, when I presented it at this feathered fisherman : both barrels missed fire, the powder having become damp, through the continued rain to which we had been so long exposed. Meantime, ihe crane, startled by the sound of the rifle- lock, turned his long neck and looked at me with an ex- pression which appeared peculiarly insolent and con- temptuous, then spreading his broad oars, sailed slowly away. While returning to camp, I consoled myself by reflecting how provoked I should have been had I suc- ceeded in getting within reach of a herd of elks, and had my two barrels then missed fire. I recommend this consolatory philosophy as a specific against impatience ; for in all our disappointments or failures, we know so little about the consequences of success, that we may have been fondly pursuing what would have proved our ruin, and be vainly regretting that which has been the means of our preservation. I 46 the northern trail. once knew a man who was pressed by urgent business, and who arrived a few minutes too late for the boat in which he wished to embark : he was most vexed and irritated, and had scarcely recovered his good-humour, when he learned that the boat had been lost, and few of the passengers had escaped. 24th. — Our spirits and our persons were again damped this morning by heavy showers of rain, which continued until near noon ; and as our stock of provisions began to grow exceedingly scant, I determined to move onward at all events. Fortunately the weather cleared about twelve, and I struck into the trail, which still continued north-north-east. This course did not suit us, and I felt inclined to believe that it would take us to the Otoe vil- lage ; but as I felt sure that we had now crossed the Kanzas from fifty to one hundred miles lower than the point where we had crossed it in our outward journey, it was evident that by going now nearly north, we must ere long cross the trail which we had made in going to the westward : I hoped we should easily recognize it and follow it to the Fort. For these reasons I pursued the northern trail, instead of travelling east or east by north, which was our proper course. In the course of the day we saw several small trails, but none of them enticed me to quit the one on which I was moving. On the 25th we came to a large cross trail ; and, on setting my compass, I found that it ran east and by south, and the direction was, according to my calculation, pre- cisely that of our old trail, and I felt sure that we had struck it. I looked around in hope of finding some land- mark that I could remember, but could discern none, and am obliged to confess my want of local memory on this occasion. None of my companions could recollect the spot or any of the objects in view ; one of them, the American lad, said he thought it was the right trail ; the other two held a contrary opinion. One thing at least I was confident of, namely, that if it was not our own old trail, it was one which bore the right course for our jour- ney, and I determined immediately to follow it. I had not done so two hundred yards, when 1 saw a small OLD CAMPING PLACE. 47 white object in the grass close to the path ; I dismounted to examine it, and found that which dispelled ail doubts in a moment : it was neither more nor less than a small torn slip of paper, which had, probably, been used for lighting or wrapping a cigar ; the printing on it was still legible, and it was part of an advertisement in the London Times newspaper. I carried it in triumph to the rest of the party, and asked them, who but myself was likely to have left a morsel of a London newspaper it that wilderness. We needed no farther proof, but pursued the trail joyfully ; though I confess, I wondered how the paper could have resisted the rains and dews of two months so as still to retain the impression of the print. I now pushed forward, and determined to reach the camping-place where we had stopped in our outward march ; a few hours’ travel brought us to it. We re- membered the spot perfectly, and found our own old tent-poles; we did not use them, but it was really a pleasure to lie down on the same tuft of grass on which we had been stretched two months before, and we felt as if at home. The neighbourhood abounded in most deli- cious pea-vine pasture for the horses, which we hobbled and turned loose ; and while the rest of the party pre- pared supper, I employed my pencil in making some of these hasty notes. If my memory served me rightly, I suppose that we were now seven or eight days’ journey from the Fort ; and on examination of our provision stock convinced me of the unpleasant but evident necessity for diminishing our daily allowance by nearly one half : our flour was nearly exhausted, and we could only afford henceforward to use half-a-pint a day, which is rather short commons for four hungry travellers. It will be remembered, that in going out we made forced marches, in order to overtake the great body of Pawnees ; and I wished now to perform the same daily journeys in order to ensure the finding a good camping- place, water, and the remains of gathered wood which had not been consumed. It was as much as we could do to urge on our sore-backed and leg-weary steeds, without losing any time in attempting to hunt for game. 48 FLOCK OF TURKEYS. Moreover, in order to prevent their failing and stopping short from exhaustion, we were obliged to perform a great part of the journey on foot. My attachment to my trusty roan, (which was indeed fresh and unwearied, but began to be severely galled in several places by girth and saddle) induced me to walk a great deal ; and this pedestrian exercise, added to my duties as guide, gave me so much employment, that when we halted at mid- day I was more disposed for rest and food than for an excursion with the rifle. Indeed, I had this day seen a magnificent herd of elks in some broken ravines to the left of our path, and am convinced that, from the nature of the ground and the direction of the wind, I could easily have killed one or two of them, had I halted the party and gone after them ; but the camping-place and the Fort were now so completely the master-objects of my wishes, that I saw them trot off with as much nonchalance as if I had been looking at fallow-deer in an English park. The 26th was a beautiful morning. After travelling three hours, the trail bearing east-south-west, I was half a mile a head of my party, when crossing a wooded ravine a flock of turkeys, containing I think fifty or six- ty, rose and flew to a neighbouring thicket : as they were on the wing I fired a ball at random among them ; it broke two or three feathers, but killed none. When my companions arrived, I halted them for half an hour, and went with the young American lad in pursuit of them ; but they had beat us completely in the thicket, and we saw nothing more of them. Had we got them out on the open prairie we should have had excellent sport. A wild turkey runs with exceeding swiftness, but he cannot keep it up very long, and his wings are not proportioned to the great weight of his body, so as to enable him to fly far. I have been told, that on a fair plain without trees, an active Indian, or white man, could run one down in little more than an hour. We resumed our route, and halted about noon to rest the horses. I again set out with my rifle, accompanied by the younger John, to see if we could procure some fresh meat. After a tolerably long walk, we sprung a fine fawn from a small ravine which we were trying ; as A GRAY BADGER. 49 it dashed up the opposite bank, I fired and broke a fore- leg ; it fell, but got up and scrambled over the hill side : young John pursued it for some distance, but lost it in a thicket. I could not join in the pursuit, for the ravine was so tangled with brushwood that I could not cross it in less than ten minutes. As John had been previously on the opposite bank he had lost no time, and when I emerged from the hollow, neither he nort he deer was visi- ble ; he soon re-appeared however, and told me of his ill-success. We continued our walk, without seeing either elk or common deer ; when suddenly, as we were crossing a high stony ridge, he pointed out an animal moving along it which stopped behind a great stone and thence peeped out, staring at 11s. We were now savage and hungry, and ready to devour a wolf, if we could get nothing bet- ter ; so 1 levelled my rifle and shot this unknown skulker by the stone. On going up to him he proved to be a gray badger. I know that in the north-west highlands of Scotland, this animal is sometimes eaten, and his hams (when cured) are considered a great delicacy. My young companion made rather a wry face at the idea of feeding on what he had always considered abominable vermin, but professed himself open to conviction and willing to make the experiment : so we forthwith skin- ned and cleaned the creature ; and as I felt sure that neither my German friend nor my Scotch servant would taste it if they knew what it was, I determined to play them a trick for their own advantage.* We according- ly cut off its head and tail ; and carrying it back to the camp, told them we had brought them a young bear-cub ! They both examined it, and neither detected the imposi- tion. We made our soup, and I broiled my badger : his own fat was all the basting that he required ; and when he was served up, we all agreed that we never had eaten more sweet or excellent meat : it had but one fault, being * Succhj amari ingannato intanto ei beve, E dal’ inganno suo vita riceve ! Gerusalcmme Liberata , Canto I. Vol. II.— E 50 THUNDER 'STORM. so exceedingly fat that it surpassed in that respect any pig or other animal that I ever saw ; fortunately it was young, or it could not have been so tender as it actually was. While we were eating it the younger Johu cast many significant and comic glances at me, and I had the greatest difficulty in maintaining my gravity ; however I did so, and in order to heighten the effect of the joke, I * contrived to turn the conversation upon the various meats and animals which prairie travellers might be often con- strained by hunger to eat. After mentioning in succes- sion the beaver, the fox, the bear, the wolf, &c., J said to the elder John, “ Supposing we were hard pressed for food, how would you like to partake of a badger?” The answer, most emphatically delivered with a visage of horror and disgust, was, “ Lord ! sir, I’d rather siarve than eat that nasty vermin !” We concluded our dinner, and our two unconscious badger-fed companions pro- secuted their journey merrily, congratulating themselves on the excellent dinner which the young bear had af- forded. So much for prejudice. On the 28th, our bad luck in respect to weather had not yet left us ! On the afternoon of the 27th, there came on a tremendous thunder-storm, accompanied by showers of rain and sleet, driven by as cold and piercing a north-easter as ever I felt in a British November : we ourselves and our baggage, were soon completely wetted. • We could not sit upon our horses, but walked by the side of them, blowing our finger ends, and endeavouring to shelter ourselves, by getting to the lee-side of the tired animals ; but even they could not face the pelting of the storm, and more than once turned their tails to it, fright- ened and shivering, and regardless of our efforts to urge them forward. Of course the blasts of wind and rain were fitful and varied in their force, but they continued more or less, without intermission, until evening. At length, and not before dusk, wearied and drenched, we reached our place of encampment. It was above a hun- dred yards from the line of the trail ; nevertheless, as soon as we approached it my sagacious roan pricked her ears, gave a kind of grunt of mingled recognition and satisfaction, trotted off to the spot, and began snuffing OUR SUPPER. 51 and smelling at the twisted osier and other relics of our former halt : — sensible, faithful, and half-reasoning brute! tired, wet, and cold as I was, I could not omit noticing her sagacity and power of memory. Those who live in the civilized w r orld, even if accus- tomed to hunting, shooting, and other field sports, can scarcely imagine the miserable discomfort of arriving, after a toilsome march, weary and drenched with rain, at a halting-place, where the grass, the wood, everything around is also wet ; the skins and baggage all soaked and soiled ; not a dry shred of clothing to put on, and even the fire, by which alone warmth or food is to be pro- cured, requiring an hour’s assiduous nursing and shelter- ing, and blowing, before it attains power sufficient to warm a little finger, or heat a cup of water ! Such was our plight ! Nevertheless, complaint was of no use, and we did, at length, make a tolerable fire, and boil a pot of most excellent buffalo-soup ; flavoured on this occasion by the addition of two brace of grouse,* which I had fortunately shot in the morning before the rain came on. One brace I felt not a little proud of, as they had risen just before my mare while on the journey, and I killed them right and left without dismounting : they were deliciously tender, and the flavour seemed to me equal to that of any birds which I had ever tasted. But it must be owned that Lazenby never made a sauce so appetizing , t as that with which our day’s journey had furnished us : be that as it may, our supper was most excellent, and I do positively declare my belief, that pleasure is meant to triumph over pain in this world ! for I felt much greater satisfaction in toasting my feet by the fire, enjoying my hot prairie-hen and buffalo-soup, and afterwards a few consolatory whiffs from my pipe, than I had experienced annoyance from the sleet, the cold, or the fatigue of the whole day. I must however confess, that I found my wet clothes * The “ Tetrao Canadensis,” usually called the Prairie-hen in the Western States, and found in great abundance in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, &c. t I believe the English language is indebted to me for importing this word from France 1 SEARCH FOR DEER. rather unpleasant during the night. We huddled closely together, and steamed away enveloped in skins, with our feet so close to the fire, that once or twice we had to jump up and put a spark out which fell upon us. The dew was extremely heavy, and the cold just before dawn most severe ; so that we were not sorry, when morning- broke, to see a rosy young sun emerging from the east- ern haze. We were obliged to continue our halt in order to dry our skins and provisions ; both of which were ex- posed to immediate risk of corruption, by the constant wetting to which they had been exposed. While my companions attended to these things, and collected the horses which had strayed to some distance, I took my rifle and went in search of elk or antelope. My evil genius led me along a bottom, or valley, near which we were camped, and a more impracticable place for hunting I never beheld : after four or five hours’ struggling and scrambling, rather than walking, I re- turned without having killed or seen a deer. My fatigue and ill-success are easily accounted for by the nature of the ground which I had been traversing : the brushwood, through which I had to force my way, was from six to eight feet high, and very thick ; more- over it was full of plum trees and prickly briars, matted together with the tough cords of the pea-vine ; while every now and then I had my shins bruised, and my feet entangled among the jagged limbs of fallen timber of a former generation with which the ground was strewn. To these obstacles were to be added a number of creeks, with rotten banks overgrown with reeds, too wide for a leap, and yet too muddy and deep for wading. It will easily be believed that, in such a district, a single hunter has little prospect of killing deer; the only chance of sport would be for a party to scatter themselves in dif- ferent directions, and watch the paths leading from the thickets and the deer beds to the water, whither the animals generally go at noon to drink. On the 29th Fate seemed still resolved that we should not reach the Fort without suffering some privations ; for an examination of our provender convinced me that we had little more than enough for four days, at our present MARCH RESUMED. 53 allowance ; and as we had at least a week’s journey be- fore ns, I was obliged, however unwillingly, to limit our rations to half the former quantity; that is, to allow, ex- clusive of our dried meat, only a pint of maize and one tin-cup of flour per diem among ihe whole party. How- ever, we had yet a little coffee, and if we could but travel, there would be no reason to fear any serious in- convenience from our scant and reduced diet. Never- theless, it was impossible to move this day owing to the continual rain ; so I again sallied forth in the faint hope of procuring a fresh supply of meat. Although my shooting-jacket was thick, and I walked fast, I do not remember to have ever encountered a more raw and bitter sharpness in the air, even on a moor in a Scottish December, than I experienced during this dis- agreeable walk, from which I returned after three hours’ fruitless fatigue thoroughly drenched, cold, and dispirited, without having seen a living animal. The morning of the 30th dawned fresh and clear. We broke camp at sunrise, and travelled all day, with only one hour’s rest at noon, as I was determined, if possit le, again to reach our old camping-place : in this I succeed- ed, and just before reaching it, was aware of three deer within rifle-shot of the trail. Unfortunately, I had mount- ed my shot-barrels a few hours before, in order to kill a prairie-hen, (the only one which I had seen on this long day’s march ;) and before I could replace them by the rifle-barrels, the deer had taken to the bush. I followed them, and was at one time near enough to hear them bounding and breaking their way through the brushwood ; but I could not get a shot, or even a sight of them ; so I was obliged to rejoin my friends, having nothing but my solitary prairie-hen to add to our scanty mess. Never have I been exposed to such strange vicissi- tudes of temperature. I had no thermometer, and a guess is almost always an exaggeration ; but I cannot help be- lieving, that, on the preceding day, while the severest exercise, and my thickest coat, could scarcely protect me from the cold sleet, enough to keep my blood in circula- tion, it must have been as low as 40 a of Fahrenheit; and this day, at noon, without a jacket, and riding gently with E* 54 INDIAN TRAILS. only my blue shirt over my shoulders, I was perspiring tinder the fierce rays of the sun, in a temperature that must have been above lOO 15 . The nights were cold, and the dews very heavy ; but we had become so accus- tomed to sleep in the open air with our feet to the fire, that we preferred it to the trouble of stretching the tent, although tent-poles were now to be had without diffi- culty. On the 31st we travelled all day without any incidents. I amused myself by watching the queer working of the muscles in the elder John’s face, while I gradually let him into ihe secret that he had not very long ago fed upon that “nasty vermin” called a badger, when he thought he was eating a bear-cub. As for the younger John, his mirth and spirits increased every hour as we drew nearer to his home ; and I could not resist the in- fection of his merriment, while he mingled snatches of rough Kentucky songs, and scraps of negro ballads, with objurgations to the hungry and wearied pack-horses, al- ways concluding his medley with portentous threats of the devastation which he hoped, ere long, to make in the produce of his mother’s oven, kitchen, and dairy, and ge- nerally terminating his anticipated feast by “dipping his head into a bowl of buttermilk 1” September 1st. — This day was beautiful, and the heat of a brilliant sun was tempered by a refreshing breeze. After four hours’ march, we reached the spot where we had before overtaken Sanitsarish’s party after losing our horses. We halted an hour, and continued our course merrily. Once we came to a place where the trail forked into three branches ; I pursued the left or most north- ward track, partly from recollection, and partly from its direction by compass; one of the others had been evi- dently made by a party going eastward, whereas, it was self-evident, that in our old trail the grass must be beaten down towards the west : but even on this I could observe that a party had passed since our former march ; I sup- pose they must have been some of the Kickapoos and Powtawatomies resident near the Fort. I conjectured also, that the middle trail was that leading to the Dela- ware and Shawanon settlements, at the mouth of the FLOWERS OF THE PRAIRIE. 55 Kanzas ; and the southern one probably made by a party returning to St. Louis, or some other point in Mis- souri. In this part of our march the horse-flies of various kinds gave us much annoyance ; but I have reason to believe that we should have suffered a great deal more from them, had we returned a month earlier; they are indeed a fearful scourge to the unfortunate animals; the quantity of blood that they draw, and the rapidity with which they draw it, are equally astonishing; nets, branches of trees, &c., are all unavailing to keep them off ; and I have more than once seen the horses so maddened and so covered with blood by their bites, that I can quite believe what has been told me by Santa Fe traders, that they have frequently known them lie down and die from exhaustion and loss of blood. Fortunately they do not attack mankind, for our skin would not cost them a mo- ment’s trouble to pierce, and the puncture seems very large, and would probably be attended with much inflam- mation ; but we have been frequently annoyed bv the lo- custs, or dark-coloured cockchafers, which sail along with the wind at great speed, and are, apparently, quite blind, for they come against the traveller’s face with a force sufficient to sting him sharply, and, I should think, to stun themselves. This evening we had a good pot of soup, as I was en- abled to add three or four prairie-hens to its strength and flavour. The young John killed a racoon, but it crept into a hole before we could secure it. We camped at our old place, in the open air, as we decidedly preferred sleeping thus, to the trouble of piiching the fly-tent. On the 2d we travelled on our former trail, the weather rather wild, and a very high wind. After about thirty miles’ journey, we came to and recognized the creek, where our poor little mule had been “ mired,” and had thrown his load into the water. The character of the scenery was much changed since we last passed through the same district : the grass was of a kind of tawny hue ; the trees were changing their green mantles for the vari- ous hues which they respectively wear in autumn ; and there was a greater variety of flowers, although most of 56 ANTICIPATIONS. them seemed to have outlived their prime. Indeed, I must confess, that all my experience of the great western prairie has disappointed my expectation in respect to floweis. It may possibly be that I was in the more re- mote and barren wilderness, just at the season when I ought to have been here to see them ; but the fact un- doubtedly is, that I saw none that could exceed in bril- liancy the flaunting colours of the poppy, or contend in sweetness or in beauty with the cowslip, the primrose, or the crimson tints which fringe the tip of the daisy, or lodge like “drops in the bottom of the cowslip,” and last, not least, the unobtrusive violet, which delights the senses both of sight and smell in the meadows and banks of old England. While riding along carelessly and observing the fea- tures of the surrounding scene, my ear was struck, and not for the first time, by the merry voice of the younger John, half singing, half talking to his more moody com- panion, and telling him how he longed to see his mother, and his favourite dog, and the cows he used to drive in from pasture ; and how he would revel in the luxuries of hot cakes and buttermilk ! I could not help calling to mind, although the epithet was not exactly appropriate, the beautiful lines of Juvenal : — “ Longs for bis home, the kids he used to pet. And for his mother sighs with sad regret.”* All the 3d, we travelled without more halting than was absolutely necessary, until we arrived at the first memo- rable camping-place, where our horses had escaped and left us. We remembered having left a wooden pack- saddle upon a branch of a great oak near the encamp- ment ; but, upon looking for it, it was gone; doubtless, having attracted the quick eye of some Indian who had little scruple in appropriating the prize. As I was de- termined to reach the Fort this day, and our horses were so leg-weary and galled, that they could not travel fast, I started very early, and with the consent of the whole *“ Suspirat longo non visam tempore matrem, Et casulam et notes trisiis desiderat haedos.” APPROACH THE MISOTTRf. 57 4 party, dispensed with the ceremony of breakfast, except a small slice of dried buffalo-meat, uncooked. We were all in high spirits ; hunger, heat, and fatigue, all were merged in the excitement of again seeing our friends and white brethren. As we approached the Missouri, the features of the scenery became more grand and imposing, the timber seemed heavier, and the vege- tation richer. Hill after hill of this fine undulating dis- trict was surmounted ; a deer which showed itself at no great distance, was allowed to go off unpursued ; and at length my eye caught, far to the northward, the curved line of massive foliage, which surely, but still indistinctly, indicated the course of the great river. Again we pressed forward with re-animated expectation. The ground rose gradually before us for several miles, and it was not until the trees were passed that we attained the summit of the ridge, and the magnificent monarch of the floods lay stretched in all his glory before us ! Never, under the influence of such overwhelming feel- ings, had I seen such a panorama of beauty. A torrent of associations never forgotten, but long dormant, were awakened and returned to their wonted channels. The buffalo herds, the howl of wolves, the circles of naked savages round their fires, their yells, their dances, and their songs, were, for a season, all as a dream ; while the neat white-washed wall of the Fort, seen through the irregular glades of the forest, and a party of haymakers, plying their task in the prairie, at no great distance below jus, all seemed to recall the comforts and the endearments of civilized and social life. I could not speak — I could not even think distinctly ; but I made no exertion to /arrange my thoughts — I rather allowed them to revel in that confusion of undefined pleasure — that delicious tu- mult, which, although vague, and short-lived, is for a time more enjoyable than gayety, more happy than even the “ sober certainty of waking bliss.” As we passed onward, near enough to the haymakers to distinguish their features and exchange a salutation in our language, the sight of them did my heart good ; they looked like friends and relatives, and their voices were like old music. 58 RECEPTION AT THE PORT. When we arrived near the Fort an unexpected and amusing difficulty occurred : no power could induce our Indian pack-horses to approach the white walls, or to pass some wagons which stood at a little distance from the road ; and when at last we led them as far as the gate of the green square, or inclosure, round which the barracks are built, we were altogether unable to make them pass through it ; they snorted, reared, and would have defeated our attempts, whether at persuasion or coercion, had we not met with a reinforcement, from a small body of soldiers who were lounging before the rail- ings, with whose assistance we contrived to drive them through. Then, our younger John, true to his often ex- pressed anticipations, rushed to the arms of his mother, and the bowl of buttermilk. As soon as we had relieved our wearied horses of their several burthens, V ac- companied one of the officers to his quarters ; and I accepted the hospitable offer of Captain Hunter, now in command of the Fort. The difficulty I found in sitting on a chair, the fearful havoc which I made among the various cakes, which succeeded each other on his tea-table, and the strange sensations which I experienced on taking off my clothes, and sleeping in a bed between sheets, deserve, and shall have, a separate chapter. FEVER AND AGUE. 59 CHAPTER IV. Epidemic Fever and Ague. — Hospitality of Captain Hunter. — A noxious Intruder. — Visit to the Kickapoo Village. — An Indian Preacher and Prophet. — Restrictions similar to those ir. the Mosiac Law.- — Specimen of an Indian Sermon — Pursuit of a Bear. — Sale of my Horses. — Embark for St. Louis — Dangerous Navigation. — Paw- paws. — Unhealthy Appearance of the Missouri Settlers. — Republican Equality. — Gambling in the Steamboat. — Officers of the United States Army. — Frequency of Duels — Drunkenness among the common Soldiers. — Insubordination and Desertion in the Army. — Arrival at St. Louis. — Catholic Church there. — A French Artist. — Dulness at St. Louis. — Jefferson Barracks — Old French Village. — The Arsenal. — Hospitality of the commanding Officer. — Music in the house of Mr. P., a German resident in St. Louis. Fort Leavenworth, Sept. 6. — Great changes had taken place among the officers composing the garrison, since 1 had last visited it; insomuch, that only one re- mained with whom I could claim acquaintance. This post had been visited by the scourge of the whole Mis- sissippi and Missouri valleys, namely, fever and ague ; and it was painful to see the number of sunken eyes and ashy cheeks by which I was surrounded. The epidemic which had been so severe upon the officers and men, had not spared the good messman and his family; they had been all attacked by it, and were much reduced : but the good dame’s joy, when she had recovered her son, (our young attendant, John Hardy,) was uncontrollable ; she turned him round and round, looked at his embrowned hands, and his tanned and un- shorn face, as if she could scarcely persuade herself that it was he indeed : she wept with joy, and said that she had almost given up any hope of ever seeing him again. I was delighted to be able to restore him to her, much improved both in appearance and in qualities ; for when we started he had been rather inclined to be indolent, and was somewhat too fresh and delicate looking ; he was now a strong, healthy, and active lad, willing and 60 NOXIOUS INTRUDER. able to undergo fatigue, and merry and cheerful in diffi- culties. Colonel Dodge, the commander, and his exploring party, had not yet returned, and I found Captain Hunter in command. Not content with the courtesy and hospi- tality usually shown to strangers by the officers on a remote station, this gentleman insisted on my taking up my abode at his quarters, an arrangement to which I ac- ceded with pleasure. I found Mrs. Hunter am exceed- ingly agreeable and pleasing lady, and regretted very much that an attack of the prevalent fever confined her to her chamber, so as to prevent her appearing in the drawing-room. On the first night of my stay under this hospitable roof, I was awakened soon after midnight by hearing my bed- room door open : I jumped up and saw a white figure, with a candle in one hand and a pistol in the other ! A second glance showed me that it was Captain Hunter; he informed me that the lower part of his house was now usurped by “ a skunk,” an animal whose foetid qualities leave those of the polecat or badger far behind. He had just learned that the intruder was partly visible under an old barrel in the scullery immediately below my bed- room ; and, as he was proceeding to shoot him, he very good naturedly called me in passing, that I might not be startled or annoyed by the discharge of pistols in the house at that hour. The first shot did not prove fatal, but there arose from the wounded skunk such a stench as I shall never forget ; in two minutes it filled the whole house, and even in my room with the door shut, I could scarcely believe that the animal was not within six inches of my nose. It is well known that nature has provided all the vari- ous tribes of her animated children with their respective means of self-defence ; these are more numerous than they are usually supposed to be.* * The old poet, in his Qvcng icepara ravpoig ( Vide 2d Ode of Ana- creon), certainly omitted the skunk, which, when alarmed or pursued, emits this effluvium, which deters his sturdiest persecutor ; and also the fish which saves itself from the jaws of the dolphin, by giving out a dark-coloured secretion, which tinges the water all around and renders him invisible. &ICKAFOO VILLAGE. 61 One or two discharges of the pistol terminated the ex- istence of the skunk, but his memory lasted the livelong night ; and I learned from unpleasant experience, that we may apply to this animal what the poet has so pret- tily said of the tenacious perfume of the rose ; — “You may break, you may ruin the vase, if you will, But the scent of the roses will hang round it still.” I was not a little amused at the awkwardness I expe- rienced in a drawing-room : I literally felt some difficulty in sitting on a chair, so long had I been accustomed to sit cross-legged on the ground ; and my appetite, as well as that of all our lit lie prairie party, might have threat- ened dearth to the best stocked larder. On the 6th, I rode out with Captain Hunter to the Kickapoo village, which is about five miles from the Port. The Kickapoos are a branch of the great northern nation of Indians, which includes the Potawolomies, the the Chippeways, and other numerous tribes. Their for- mer territory has been “bought” (as it is called) by the United States, and this tract of country along the south- ern bank of the Missouri allotted in its stead ; beside which, the United States engaged to supply them for a certain time with a stipulated quantity of provisions* clothes, &c. Living so near the settlements, they have lost most of the traits of their original character, and are a reduced debased race ; nevertheless, they are now in- teresting m a religious point of view. A miniature Ma- homet has arisen among them ; and the tribe is divided into two sects — the religious and irreligious; these are pretty equal in number ; and the former acknowledge and obey as secular chief the prophet who leaches the new creed. This man preaches very good and enlight- ened morality, He pretends to have seen the Great Spirit in a vision, and to have received his command to proclaim his truths and precepts to the Indians. I should have been astonished at the excellence of his doctrine, and the soundness of his religious views, if I had not learned from a gentlemen long resident among them, the fountain from which he drew his knowledge. It appears Vol. II.— F 62 INDIAN PREACHER. that when very young he learned the English language thoroughly, and in remote parts of t he state of Illinois at- tended many Christian meetings ; he thus became ac- quainted with the outlines of the Christian scheme, and with the morality which the Bible inculcates; and after- ward grafting the knowledge thus acquired upon his In- dian prejudices and superstitions, he has used it as an engine of personal aggrandizement, and become priest, prophet, and chief of half his nation. I attended a preaching, which was held under a large, open, reed-thatched shed. The meeting was conducted with the greatest decorum : all the men under or near the shed stood uncovered ; but in this, as in all the Christian churches that I have seen in any country, the greater part of the assembly were females. Each was supplied with a flat board, on which were carved symbols, which answered" the purpose of letters, and enabled them to chime in with the prayer or hymn of the preacher. I remarked that many women stood outside this rustic temple, and on inquiring the cause, I received an answer which showed how singularly some Indian customs re- semble those of the Jews and ancient Eastern nations. During certain periods the women are forbidden to enter any place where the “medicine” is kept; and in some tribes they are not allowed to remain in their family-tent, but are made to occupy a small wing made of two or three skins added to it ; in short, they impose all the re- strictions which the Mosaic law imposed upon a situa- tion over which the better and more enlightened taste of modern civilization is content to throw the veil of silence. I regretted to find that the officiating preacher was not the “ great prophet himself,” but one of his favourite dis- ciples ; he was a man of middle age, with a quiet and earnest expression of countenance, and a voice capable of much modulation and variety of tone : bespoke with- out the slightest hesitation. I placed myself within hearing ; and keeping at my elbow the half-bred French interpreter, took down in pencil the following scraps from his lecture : — “ Look up at the heavens ! look around you at the earth fertile with fruit, and the animals given PURSUIT OF A BEAR. 63 for our use. All these show the goodness of the Great Spirit. If He were not good, much better than any of us, He would be angry with us ; for we are all bad and disobey Him — He would punish and not forgive us : but if we are good and obey Him, we are happier and more flourishing here — all goes well with us. We are but half-taught children — we are poor Indians; it is only a few years since we learned his will and commands, through his prophet ; but if we ask Him, and obey Him, we shall daily grow wiser and happier,” and so on in a similar strain. After this sermon, a hymn was sung; it was a low, melancholy, and not unmusical air, and was rendered wild and peculiar by the closing of each verse in the minor key. I left the scene with strong emotions of interest and compassion, and must own that I enter- tain hopes, though but faint ones, that this twilight may be the forerunner of the sunrise of the Gospel among them. The shades of evening had closed around us, and I returned with Captain Hunter at a brisk trot toward the garrison. In a narrow and abrupt turn, where the road crosses the high ridge behind the Fort, the horses began to snort, and the dogs, two or three of which, of various breeds, had accompanied us, began to utter that hurried irregular bark, indicative as much of terror as of anger or watchfulness. We pushed forward into the “ brush,” and soon recognized the enemy, in the person of a bear, that made a speedy retreat into an adjoining thicket ; we pursued for two or three minutes, but the bushes were so high and thick, and the remaining light so scanty, that we perilled our shins and trousers, rather more than the life of Bruin, especially as our canine allies seemed will- ing to keep at a respectful distance, and more disposed to bark him to death than to adopt any more effective measures : this would have proved a somewhat slow process, and we accordingly turned our horses heads, and proceeded quietly to the garrison. I sold all my horses to a trader, who was soon about to start for the mountains. /Hiey were all grazing in a rich pea-vine bottom, which had been enclosed on the landward side by the garrison, while a great bend of the 64 EMBARK FOR ST. LOUIS, river effectually protected the other sides of it. The purchaser bought them without seeing them, and paid us a very moderate price, but as much as I thought them worth. I did not include my favourite roan in this sale ; she was purchased by one of the officers of the Fort, who promised to show her all kindness and favour. During the few days which I remained, I amused my- self by visiting some Kickapoos and Powtawalomies, in order to make vocabularies of their language. I also found a tolerably intelligent Delaware, from whom I got some information about his tribe and tongue ; but I shall not interrupt my narrative with any account of Indian languages ; the reader who is curious on the subject will find it treated of in the Appendix. After enjoying the comforts and hospitality of these agreeable quarters for two or three days, I took advan- tage of^the arrival of a steam-boat, and embarked for St. Louis. I found the river much lower than when I had passed up in June, and the navigation infinitely more dan- gerous ; the huge black snags were in some places as thick as the trees of the forest, and as I stood on the deck and looked at their serried ranks, upon which we were bearing down at twelve or fourteen miles an hour, with all the united force of current and steam, I could not trace with my eye any course or channel by which our craft could make good her way ; but being a sufficiently old traveller to believe that “ everybody knows his own business best;” and seeing that the captain and owners were neither intoxicated nor mad, it was rather with cu- riosity and admiration than alarm, that I saw our pilot charge down upon this forest of snags. His name was Baptiste, and he is one of the most celebrated pilots on the western waters ; his countenance was calm and grave, and his quiet piercing eye seemed to calculate the number and position of the giant palisades through which he was to force a passage. On we went, now rubbing on the starboard, now scraping on the larboard side, but always avoiding a direct collision. Our course, though serpentine, was extremely rapid, and in a few minutes the forest of snags lay in our rear. ‘ Soon afterward, we struck the bottom, so hard as to DANGERS OF NAVIGATION. 65 shake all the chairs in the cabin, and to affect consider- bly the vertical position of their respective tenants ! In Britain, every soul would have rushed to the deck; but I saw everybody else remain perfectly quiet, and I did not see why I should give myself anymore uneasiness ihan my neighbours. I soon found out that if a person feels any objection to such an occurrence, he had better notdescend the Missouri in September, as we grounded frequently for a few minutes, and rubbed our keel against the bed of the river half a dozen limes in the course of every hour. When the steam-boat stopped to take in fuel, I went ashore and gathered some fine ripe pawpaws ; this was the first time I had tasted this fruit, which is in my opinion one of the most delicious in the world : it resem- bles very much the banana of the West Indies, but is more rich and luscious. There are two species, the green and the yellow ; the latter is preferable : when opened, the interior is exactly like a custard, and the fla- vour is something between a fig and a pine-apple. It reaches a much greater size in the West Indies than oa the Missouri, and resembles in form a kidney potato. Although I prefer this fruit to banana or pineapple, I find it is not generally so highly esteemed, being considered too rich and cloying ; moreover, I was t old it is extreme- ly unwholesome ; this I found to be an absurd prejudice (as I have often eaten from six to twelve at a time with- out any unpleasant consequences.) The belief in its hurtful qualities, probable owes its origin to the fact that the hogs, which roam in the woods and eat the produce of every other fructiferous tree, will not touch the paw- paw. Another cause of the low estimation in which pawpaws are held is their extreme abundance ; they grow in thousands in the woods, as thick as nuts in an English hazel-wood, and the children soon get sick and tired of eating them. It was extremely painful to remark the wan and un- healthy appearance of all the settlers on the banks of the Missouri, between the Fort and St Louis. I must have landed twenty times, and I did not see a single family where the fever and ague bad not “ chased the native F* 66 REPUBLICAN EQUALITY. colour from their cheeks.” In some instances, both parents and a family of four or five children, wore so haggard and emaciated an appearance, that I could hardly believe they would outlive another season ; and their situation excited the more pity from the melancholy contrast which it presents to the luxurious and vigor- ous profusion of vegetable life around, where the earth teems with flowers and fruits, and bears on her broad bosom the huge trunks and far-spreading foliage of her gigantic forest sons. To return to the steam-boat : — There is nothing in America that strikes a foreigner so much as the real re- publican equality existing in the Western States, which border on the wilderness ; while that of the Eastern States is being daily infringed on and modified. It is a cor- roborative proof (although superfluous to any reflecting mind) of the difficulty of continuing such equality in civilized life ; it contravenes that advancement and exaltation of superior power, or intellect, which Nature has for centuries proved to be a part of her system. As regards society, the distinctions of rank and station are now as much observed in Philadelphia and Boston, as they are in London ; indeed, I am inclined to believe they are more so, only with this difference, that being, as it were, illegal and unsanctioned by public opinion, they are adhered to with secret pertinacity, and owe their origin and strength principally to wealth ; but in ihe Far West, where society is in its infancy, where all are en- gaged in making money by bringing into cultivation waste lands, or raising minerals, — where men of leisure are unknown, and the arm of law is feeble in protecting life and property, — where the lone of manners, conversation, and accomplishment, is necessarily much lower than in stales and cities longer established, — here it is that true republican equality exists, and here only can it exist. — This may be illustrated by the narration of simple and apparently trifling facts : for instance, I have seen the clerk of a steam-boat, and a grocer in a small village on the Missouri, sit down to take grog or play at cards with a member of congress and an officer in the army; laughing together, swearing together, and the names of Frequency of duels. 6? Bill, Dick, and Harry, passing familiarly between them ! I confess I was much astonished at the gambling on board ; the parties were French traders and others en*^ gaged in different brandies of business up the Missouri. I remember seeing 600 dollars staked on a single card ! When talking of the officers of the United States army, I would not be misunderstood ; I have become acquainted with a great many on the outposts both of the Missouri and Mississippi ; I have been invariably treated with the greatest attention and hospitality, and many of them are gentlemen who, in manners and accomplish- ments, would do credit to the service of any country ; but it would argue a want of truth and candour were I not to add, that some of them have been found, during my stay in the West, in predicaments very unbecoming any officer, and that drunkenness and gambling are but too often the results of their habits of intimacy with some of the settlers in the West, who are not by birth, education, or manners, fitted to associate with gentlemen. Another fact connected with the American army and navy, shows how repugnant are the notions of repub- licanism to all kinds of discipline. I allude to the fre- quency of duels in both these branches of the service. I never heard any sensible man doubt or impugn the bravery of the Americans; but the number of quarrels and duels among officers, as well as among senators, judges, and the other higher orders of the community, is the poorest and most culpable mode of evincing their courage, and argues a want of discipline both in their social and military relations which is highly reprehen- sible. It is well known, and has been confessed to me by many of their most intelligent officers, that the army, which is small, is much spoiled and disorganized by the spirit of “equality,” and so-called independence, pre- valent among the common soldiers; while the higher departments are too often brought within the sphere of political intrigues. In regard to the former, I must say, that I have seen more cases of drunkenness than ever I saw among any troops in the world, and the mistaken (58 CATHOLIC CHURCH AT ST. LOUIS. humanity or pride that has forbidden corporel punish- ment, has not apparently substituted any efficient method of maintaining discipline. In fact, the American pea- sant, though a brave and hardy man, and expert in the use of the rifle and musket, is naturally the worst soldier in the world, as regards obedience and discipline. He has been brought up to believe himself equal to the offi- cers who command him, and never forgets that when his three years of enlistment are over, he will again be their equal. The most quiet orderly soldiers now in the American army, are the Irish, Scotch, and German emigrants, who are in considerable numbers, and generally remain longer than the above mentioned term. However, it is a well- known fact, and one which speaks volumes, that nearly one quarter of the army desert every year.* In military appointments, commissions, and promotions, in the United States army, favour has, at least, as much advan- tage over merit as in England ; the only difference being, that in the former, political interest and election intrigues are the chief moving powers, and are not, as in the latter, mingled with aristocratic influence. We arrived again at St. Louis without accident on the 12t.h (Sunday.) I went to see the Catholic church, which is the boast of that part of the country. The portico is good, and the exterior of the building is better than most of the specimens of Greek architecture in this country ; but it by no means deserves the praises be- stowed upon it, being very faulty both in design and pro- portion. In regard to the latter especially, the spire is a great deal too large for the tower supporting it. The interior is better proportioned, and has altogether a pleas- ing effect: the columns, cornices, pilasters, transparencies, &c., together with two or three pictures, were painted by a French artist. I was fortunate enough to obtain him as my cicerone through the church, after the termination of the service. He was a beautifully embodied personification of Parisian art — a very good-looking fellow, with a pink * This was correct when it was written, in 1835. I am not aware whether any important alterations have been effected since that date. FRENCH ARTIST. 69 and white complexion, well arranged hair, and neatly trimmed whiskers ; having a very complacent opinion of his own abilities, and a shrug of the shoulders for some of the peculiarities of men and manners in the valley of the Mississippi. His object in painting the interior decorations appears to have been, not to “ rival all but Raphael’s name be- low but to put on a given number of yards of paint, and transfer a given number of dollars to his own pocket, in a given number of hours. He. accordingly, completed the whole of his operations within eight months, as he boasted to me ! Now, the church is very large ; every window is covered by a large transparency painted by him ; and besides the half-dozen sacred pictures, there is a great profusion of painting in every part of the building. I have no doubt that, if Michael Angelo, or any of his distinguished pupils, had engaged in the same work, it would have cost more years of labour than it cost months to our Parisian knight of the easel ; indeed, I could scarcely keep my risible muscles in due subjection, while he explained to me that he had not worked and plodded at it with a small pencil, as some painters do ; but that he had taken a good large brush, and laid on the colour rapidly, broadly, and boldly. Here he waved his right hand to and fro, like a fellow painting a door or a railing : “ Comine ga — click — click — poof — poof — poof.” I was really vexed at the careless folly and vanity which thus marred the performances of a man who possesses con- siderable talent ; is an excellent draughtsman ; and who might, by applying ordinary care and industry, have done more justice to himself and to the subjects wdiich he was called upon to illustrate. I found St. Louis an extremely dull town, and began to believe in the reports which had reached me in de- scending the Ohio, that it contained less gayety and hos- pitality than any place of the same size in the United Slates. The bqarding-houses and taverns are very in- ferior in their accommodations, especially the former. V and I were put into a garret, where we had diffi- culty in procuring two chairs and a table. The provisions were as scant and small as the furniture ; and I looked 70 THE ARSENAL. forward with no little satisfaction to a tour which I pro- posed to make up the Mississippi. On the following day I went out to see Jefferson Bar- racks, and to spend the day with Lieutenant C , from whom I had before received so much kindness at Fort Leavenworth. These barracks are agreeably and beautifully situated on the western bank of the river, of which they command a noble prospect ; they are about ten miles below St. Louis : there is nothing remarkable in their construction or arrangement. The only thing ex- traordinary that I observed was, that the band was better than any I had ever heard in any military post; it was composed chiefly, if not altogether, of foreigners, Ger- man and others. Half way between St. Louis and these barracks is the old French village, called “ Vin des Poches,” for what reason I never could learn, although there are half-a- dozen etymological fables regarding it : its proper name is Carondelet, but few of the inhabitants would know it by that appellation. It is a quaint and rather pretty ham- let, commanding at one point a most beautiful view of the river and its wooded banks and islands. Half way between this place and St. Louis is the arsenal, which is not yet completed', but appears to be one of the best and most solid buildings in the western country. I was invited to dine with the officer com- manding it, a gentlemanly agreeable man, and was pleased to find in his wife a lady related to, and acquaint- ed with, some of my friends in Virginia. This house I found to be the most comfortable in its arrangements in every branch, from the drawing-room to the kitchen, that I had visited for many months ; and I must not for- get to mention a certain plum-pudding, which would have done the highest credit to the artiste of the London Ta- vern, or the Lord Mayor’s cook. Mrs. S played and sang with much taste, and I cannot express how delighted I was again to enjoy the soft music of Germany and the sweet south, after being so long condemned to the rough grunts and yells of the Pawnees. I returned to St. Louis after spending a very pleasant evening, and regretted much that my proposed journey EMBARK ON THE MISSISSIPPI. 71 prevented my accepting the kind invitation to protract my stay, which was given me by Captain S . The following evening I was fortunate enough again to enjoy some delightful music in the house of Mr. P , a Ger- man resident in St. Louis. The family were just about to remove to some of the eastern cities, in order to com- plete Miss P ’s studies, and to afford a fair field in which to display her musical abilities. The piano was, unhappily, very old and out of tune ; but, in spite of this disadvantage, it was easy to perceive that this young lady, who was only sixteen years of age, possessed much taste, feeling, and a beautiful touch. I had no doubt of her success in the musical world. CHAPTER V. Embark on the Mississippi. — Droll Rencontre. — Subjection of Indian Tribes. — Keokuk. — Atrocious Exploit. — Passing the Rapids. — Fort des Moines. — Frequent Desertions from this Post. — River Scenery. — Fort Armstrong. — Fossil Remains. — Galena. — Lead Mines. — The Miners: their dissolute Life. — Subscription by the Irish Liberty- boys — Lynch Law — its Origin. — Rate of Wages among the Miners. — Price of Provisions. — Hospitable Reception at Prairie du Chien. — Hunting Expedition to Turkey River. — Horrible Tragedy. Having now arranged my plans for visiting the lead mines, and other districts in the neighbourhood of the Upper Mississippi, 1 embarked on board the Heroine, and bade adieu to my friend and companion V , with whom I had now passed so long a season in constant in- timacy. I left him with sincere regret, having found him invariably good-tempered, agreeable, and intelligent in conversation, and possessed of a most amiable and social disposition. However, with the hope of meeting again soon at Washington, or elsewhere, we parted, and 1 found myself once more on the broad bosom of the Father of Waters; his banks were now clothed in all the rich va- riety of autumn beauty ; the weather was mild, the vines and creepers of every hue turned gracefully round the gigantic limbs of the cotton-wood tree; while the in- 12 KEOKUK. numerable islands, with their verdant growth of willow, rendered the scene delightfully varied and beautiful. There were few passengers : ] was fortunate enough, however, to find in one of them a gentleman who has been many years in the United States Army, and who related to me some interesting passages in the last war, as well as a singularly droll rencontre that he had had with a relative of mine (who has been many years dead) in New York, in which my informant had defeated my relative in a great trial of carving skill at dinner: one was to attack a goose, the other a turkey, and the narra- tor had gained the day by a drumstick, or by half a mi- nute, I forget which ! After passing Alton, a prettily situated and rising town on the Illinois bank, the evening closed in upon us; the following day we passed through scenery strongly re- sembling that which I had already seen. At length, we reached the foot of the lower rapids, at a place called Keokuk, after an Indian chief* of that name, who was well known in the war of 18 B 2 , in which the Siouxes and Foxes, under Black Hawk,f were finally subjected. They were removed from the eastern to the western side of the Mississippi : they are now completely broken up, as regards the number of their warriors, and are, more- over, much degraded by intercourse with the whites, and the use of whiskey. But they were once a power- ful and warlike tribe, and maintained a protracted conflict with the great Sioux nation, which is now also divided; one portion having remained on the Mississippi, and the * Or, Ke-un-ne-kak, i. e. the foremost man in Kickapoo. t Black Hawk is called, in his own language, (the Saki,) Muc-a-ta- mic, o-ka-kaik ; he is now (1835) a decrepit and feeble-looking old chief ; nor do I believe that ever he was a great warrior, having been a tool in the hands of W&-p£-kisak, or, “the White Cloud,” and other Indians more cunning and able than himself His son, Na seus-kuk, (Whirling Thunder,) is a fine young chief. This last, after the defeat of his tribe, in 1832, was, with his father, taken prisoner, and paraded through the Atlantic cities. He was present one evening at a party, where a young lady sang a ballad with much taste and pathos : IXaseus- kuk, who was standing at a distance, listened with profound attention ; and, at the close of the song, he took an eagle’s feather from his head- dress, and giving it to a bystander, siid, “ Take that to your mocking- bird squaw!” ATROCIOUS EXPLOIT. 73 other having settled on the upper waters of the Mis- souri. This village of Keokuk is the lowest and most black- guard place that 1 have yet visited : its population is composed chiefly of the watermen who assist in loading and unloading the keel-boats, and in towing them up when the rapids are too strong for the steam-engines. They are a coarse and ferocious caricature of the Lon- don bargemen, and their chief occupation seems to con- sist in drinking, fighting, and gambling. One fellow, who was half drunk, (or, in western language, “corned,”) was relating with great satisfaction how he had hid himself in a wood that skirted the road, and (in time of peace) had shot an unsuspecting and inoffensive Indian, who was passing with a wild turkey over his shoulder : he con- cluded by saying, that he had thrown the body into a thicket, and had taken the bird home for his own dinner* He seemed quite proud of this exploit, and said that he would as soon shoot an Indian as a fox or an ottec. I thought he was only making an idle boast; but some of the bystanders assured me it was a w r ell-known fact, and yet he had never been either tried or punished. This murderer is called a Christian, and his victim a heathen ! It must, however, be remembered, that the feelings of the border settlers in the west, were frequently exaspe- rated by the robberies, cruelties, and outrages of neigh- bouring Indians ; their childhood was terrified by tales of the scalping knife, sometimes but too well founded, and they have thus been brought to consider the Indian rather as a wild beast than as a fellow-creature.* Here we were obliged to lighten the steam-boat, and to put three-fourths of her cargo into a keel-boat (a kind of flat-bottomed barge) in order to enable her to pass over the rapids : these were, however, fortunately not very low, and we traversed them without difficulty or accident ; indeed they w T ere not so rapid as the ordinary * In all the earliest accounts of the landing of white men in North America, whether French or Spanish, the natives are described as hav- ing been peaceable, and even kind to them, and it was not until they had been some time settled that any hostilities were commenced against them : that they were unprovoked I much doubt. Vol. II.— G 14 FORT DES MOINES. stream of the Missouri about Fort Leavenworth, but they are at times very dangerous, the rocks being sharp and rugged ; the boat on board of which I sailed, had knocked a large hole in her keel during her last passage over them. The rapids are about fourteen miles long, and at the top of them is a military post or cantonment, called Fort des Moines. This site appears to me to have been chosen with singularly bad judgment ; it is low, un- healthy, and quite unimportant in a military point of view : moreover, if it had been placed at the lower, in- stead of the upper end of the rapids, an immense and useless expense would have been spared to the govern- ment, inasmuch as the freightage of every article con- veyed thither is now doubled. The freight on board the steamer, from which I made these observations, was twenty-five cents per hundred weight from St. Louis to Keokuk, being one hundred arid sevenly miles, and from St. Louis to the Fort, being only fourteen miles farther, it was fifty cents. I landed at Fort des Moines only for a few minutes, and had but just time to remark the pale and sickly countenances of such soldiers as were loitering about the beach ; indeed, I was told by a young man who was sutler at this post, that when he had left it a few weeks before, there was only one officer on duty out of seven or eight, who were stationed there. The number of desertions from this post was said to be greater than from any other in the United States. The reason is pro- bably this : the dragoons who are posted there and at Fort Leavenworth, were formed out of a corps, called, during the last Indian war, “ The Rangers they have been recruited chiefly in the Eastern Slates, where young men of some property and enterprise were induced to join, by the flattering picture drawn of the service, and by the advantageous opportunity promised of seeing the “Far West.” They were taught to expect an easy life in a country abounding with game, and that the only hardships to which they would be exposed, would be in the exciting novelty of a yearly tour or circuit made during the spring and summer, among the wild tribes on the Missouri, Arkansas, Platte, &c. ; but on arriving at RIVER SCENERY. 75 their respective stations, they found a very different state of things : they were obliged to build their own barracks, store-rooms, stables, &c. ; to haul and cut wood, and to perform a hundred other menial or mechanical offices, so repugnant to the prejudices of an American. If we take into consideration the facilities of escape in a steam-boat, by which a deserter may place himself in a few days in the recesses of Canada, Texas, or the mines, and at the same lime bear in mind the feebleness with which the American military laws and customs follow or punish deserters, we shall only wonder that the ranks can be kept as full as they are. The officers of the army know, feel, and regret this ; but they dare not utter their senti- ments, and wholesome discipline is made to give place to the pride and prejudice of the “ sovereign people,” from whose fickle breath all power and distinction must morning after I left Des Moines dawned in all the glory of a western autumn. I was on deck before daybreak, and saw the last faint glimmering stars “ hide their diminished heads,” as the great bridegroom came forth from his eastern chamber and prepared to run his giant course. The river was studded with a thousand islands, and the dank gray mist rising irregularly from its bosom, “ hung in folds of wavy silver round” their varied and fantastic forms, by turns revealing and par- tially concealing the beauty of the woods and hills, and gradually creeping in graceful wreaths up the rocks and gigantic bluffs, which confine and control the mighty mass of waters. But even the beauties of this scene were eclipsed by the richer glories of the evening of the same day. We had reached a district where the river flowed in one vast body unbroken by islands ; the banks were lower, and clothed in all the majesty of the forest, which rose, like Milton’s “ verdurous wall,” immediately from the margin of the water, wherein the tall stems of the cotton trees showed like silver columns. Autumn was here decked in all its glory, and in every variety of hue ; the deep and solemn foliage of the nobler trees was relieved by the brilliant colours of the scarlet creeping- vines which were proceed The 76 FORT AMSTERDAM. twined round iheir mighty limbs, and hung in festoons forming natural bowers, wherein poets might dream, or dryads repose. Over all this enchanting scene, and over the wide expanse of water, the setting sun had cast his rosy mantle, and bathed it in a flood of crimson light. 1 sat and gazed on this enchanting prospect with such delight, that consciousness was for a lime lost in a waking dream ; and when it again returned, it was only to enjoy a new feast of beauty ; for the short twilight of the west had vanished, the massive shades of the forest had deepened almost to blackness, while the broad and tran- quil bosom of the river reflected the pale and trembling beams of a crescent moon. How lovely, yet how dif- ferent, a scene from that which preceded it ! I have marked such a change on the face of maiden beauty, when conversing with the object of her love (which is her sunshine); her soul seems seated in her eyes, and the “ pure and eloquent blood” coursing in its delicate channels, clothes the blushing cheek, the parted lip, even the white bFow, and the yet whiter neck, with a glowing and rosy hue ; but let the favoured whisperer depart, and the words of some indifferent acquaintance fall upon her ear, the radiance, the animation, the rosy glow, all are fled, and the fair listener stands in the cold repose of moonlight beauty. But I am digressing, which is generally the pleasantest part of a journey, not always of a narrative. The next place worthy of notice w r as Fort Armstrong this is an older post than Des Moines ; and as it stands boldly out on a high point of Rock Island, it is a more pleasing object to the eye of a traveller. In this neigh- bourhood many fine agates and geodes are picked up on the river shore, and in some of the limestone caves formed in the bluffs, are stalactites and other specimens interesting to the geologist. I saw here also a tooth taken from the head of the great American elephant, an animal which once existed in this county, and whose remains are sometimes mistaken for those of the mammoth, from which it differed considerably in size, shape, and in the quality of its food. It is said that the skeleton of this animal is tolerably complete in the bed of a streamlet, FEVER RIVER. 77 running through the territory of the Sauks and Foxes, and many attempts have been made to purchase, and re- move it ; but these Indians consider it “ medicine,” and will not part with it. Leaving Fort Armstrong, the Heroine made her steam- ing way on toward Galena. The river continued mag- nificently broad ; the sloping wood-clad hills, and the bold and rugged bluffs, presented a constant change of beauty. I was more comfortable in this boat than I had ever been in a steamer before. The captain, steward, and erevv, were very civil and obliging; the table cleanly and well-served. But this was not all ; may I venture to write in what my comfort consisted? — Yes, I must sacrifice gallantry to candour, and own at once that there w r ere no ladies on board ! and thus I was enabled, by permission of the captain, to have the ladies’ cabin to myself during the whole journey, and to read, write, and occupy myself in it as I pleased. In order to show the wages that a steady well-behaved man can obtain, I may here mention that the steward on board this boat received forty dollars (or ten pounds) a month, besides his board, and such perquisites or do- nations as were incident to his situation. Having passed the upper rapids (which are near Rock Island, and not so shallow or dangerous as those near Des Moines) without accident, we arrived on the second day following at Galena, the seat of the great United States lead mines. This towm, which has risen to some importance, and to a population of several thousands during the last few years, is situated on Fever River, about five miles from the point where it. falls into the Mississippi. The Galenians, anxious for the hedthy reputation of their river, have circulated a story that “ Fever River ” is an awkward corruption of the old French name of “ Riviere des Feves,” or Bean River; but I see little reason to credit this version, especially as I have seen “ Riv. de Fievre ” on an old map of that district. However, it is of little consequence : the place is as healthy as any other on the Mississippi banks ; but 78 LEAD MINES 1 . its site is singularly inconvenient and circumscribed, be- ing surrounded on the north and west by high bluffs, so as to render its increase to anv extent. almost impossible ; while the ground on which it is built is so abrupt, that you have to climb a bank steep as the side of a house, in order to get from one street to another, and, in rainy weather, nothing short of stilts or Greenland boots can save a pedestrian from the mud and filth. The inhabitants have hitherto cared little about paving, improving, or lighting the streets,, as the land has not been as yet in the market ; consequently the pro- perty still belongs to congress, and the only existing title is a right of pre-emption : a year or two hence this evil will be, probably, remedied. The veins of lead in the neighbourhood are numerous, and very rich. The manner of working the mines is the simplest and the most primitive ; a bucket and windlass are the only means used as yet, either for raising the mineral or clear- ing off the water : but, doubtless, steam will soon be ap- plied for these purposes. I have seen but little of min- ing in my life, but I should conceive that few places offered greater facilities than are to be found in this dis- trict; and so small is the admixture of alloy, that before the process of smelting, eighty per cent, of pure lead is the average quantity obtained. The customary law seems to be, that any person what- soever may stake off ten acres of land as yet unoccupied,, and is entitled to all the mineral that he can find within that range ; and no other person can dig on his ten acres ns long as he is carrying on any work there. The miners are the most wonderful mixture of humanity that ever I beheld they are from all parts of the world, but chiefly from Ireland, Derbyshire, Cornwall, and Germany. Besides the emigrants from the above and other places, there are fugitives from law and justice, from every part of the world, thieves, pi- rates, deserters, &c. The wages are so high that they work little more than half their time, and spend the re- maining half chiefly in drinking, gambling, quarrelling, dirking and pistolling one another. This picture is ra- LYNCH LA. W. 79 ther more faithfully descriptive of Dubuques than of Ga- lena, in which latter place there are some who have made money, and who live soberly and respectably. The Irish in this district are a very numerous and troublesome body, and have carried with them all the bitterness of their domestic prejudices and feuds, unsoft- ened by distance and unmellowed by time. Some of them spoke to me of the scenes of destruction, blood, and revolution, which they hoped yet to see in Britain, with a revengeful malice which inspired me with pity and disgust. It is now a fact well known, that here, as well as in many other parts of the United States, a sub- scription was raised by the Irish, numbering in its lists many Americans also (the object of which was to collect funds for an Irish rebellion), under the name of “ Sub- scription of the Friends of Civil and Religious Liberty.” This plot was widely extended, and seems to have been nearly ripe for execution, when it was thwarted by the passing of the Emancipation Bill the bubble then burst, and difficulties arose as to the application of the sums already subscribed. In this neighbourhood about one thousand dollars had been collected, and the Liberty Boys applied the greater part of it to setting up in busi- ness a notorious villain, who had been one of a band of pirates in the Mexican Sea, and who, after committing one or two atrocious murders in or near Galena, moved off to Dubuques (a town fifteen miles distant, on the west side of the Mississippi), where he gat into partnership, and having thought proper, one day, to murder his part- ner in cold blood, was, at length, hung by Lynch law. This term, so familiar to American ears, may require explanation in Europe. I believe it originated in one of the Southern States, where a body of farmers, unable to bring some depredators to justice, according to legal form, chose one of their number, named Lynch, judge ; from the rest they selected a jury, and from this self- constituted court they issued and enforced sundry whip- pings, and other punishments. During the last few years the settlements in the Mississippi valley have in- creased so fast, that the number of law courts have been found too few and dilatory and the inhabitants have, in LYNCH LAW. 80 many places assembled together, assumed the sovereign authority of the law, appointed a judge Lynch and a jury from among themselves, and have punished, and fre- quently hanged, those brought before them. In the case above mentioned, few could pity the miscreant, or blame his executioners ; but when the question is viewed on broad political or moral principles, it is impossible to conceive a more horrible outrage upon law, justice, and social order, than this kind of self-constituted court, tak- ing upon itself, in a civilized country, to decide upon life and liberty. During the summer, 1835, they hanged,, in this man- ner, five individuals in one village on the Mississippi (Vicksburgh.) The ^.fellows were gamblers and dis- reputable vagabonds, it is true ; but I have not been able to hear that any crime had been proved against them which would have been considered capital in a criminal court, when they were thus hurried into eternity by the excited anger and passions of their self-constituted judges. In the same outrageous manner they hanged, openly in the streets, ten or a dozen wretches called steam-doctors, who practised their miserable imposture and quackery in the south-west, and who were accused (rightfully or wrongfully, I know not) of being engaged in a plot to excite an insurrection among the negroes. Such, however, is the state of feeling in the West, that I have heard many sober, wealthy, respectable looking citizens defend and approve of Lynch law, as a benefi- cial usage in the present state of the Western country. If their opinions are correct, what must the state of those districts be ? For myself, I can conceive no community except hordes of pirates, banditti, or savages, where such usages are defensible. If the protection of the law is distant, either as regards time or place, from any village, its inhabitants are, doubtless, justifiable in securing and confining any violent trangressor of the laws affecting life or property, and in using every proper means of bringing him to just punishment ; but the hanging him in the street by their own authority, is neither more nor less than murder; and if any town or village is so re- mote as to render it extremely difficult to take the cul- PRAIRIE DU CHIEN. 81 prit before a legal tribunal, a sentence of death awarded by them remains a murder : but the greater share of the sin and disgrace falls upon the government, which leaves to its citizens a heavy and responsible office, that ought to be guarded by all the solemnities and securities of law. In spite of the general loose and profligate character of the miners, many of them are industrious and regular in their habits. These persons amass a competent for- tune with astonishing rapidity ; but these very causes tend to keep the rate of wages extremely high, and the average character of labourers proportionably low ; be- cause a steady workmen becomes in a very few weeks proprietor of “ a lot,” and requires that assistance which he so lately afforded to another. The price of pro- visions varies here to an extent almost incredible, owing to the inability of the neighbouring farmers to raise them in sufficient quantity ; consequently the steam-boats from St. Louis are loaded with flour and pork ; and as long as the navigation is easy and unobstructed, these articles are sold at a moderate price ; but if any accident occurs to impede this supply, they rise frequently one or two hundred per cent. With such a great and daily incieas- ing demand, and a fine rich country in the neighbour- hood, the greater part of w 7 hich is for sale at a dollar and a quarter (six shillings) an acre, it is needless to point out the advantages held out to industrious emigrants. After staying a few days at Galena, I pursued my way up the river ; and, passing Dubuques, Cassville, and one or two smaller settlements in the mineral district, at Prairie du Chien, an old Fiench village, immediately below wdiich is a military post called Fort Crawfurd, — On presenting my letters of introduction, I was received with the same hospitality that I have everywhere ex- perienced from the officers of the United States army. A plate was laid for me at the commanding officer’s ta- ble ; and another gentleman, in whose quarters I lodged, actually insisted upon my occupying his bed, while he slept on a sofa fitted up with a buffalo-robe. The view from this cantonment is not very remark- able, as its position is too low to command an extensive 82 HUNTING EXPEDITION. prospect ; but that from the bluffs, ranged about half a mile in its rear, is magnificent ; and the eye can take in at once many miles of the course of the Wisconsin, as well as of the Mississippi, the former river falling into the latter about five miles below the fort. I found that two or three of the officers were planning a hunting expedition toward the head waters of Turkey River (which runs from north-west to south-east, and falls into the Mississippi some miles below Prairie du Chien), where we were told that pheasants, deer, elk, and other game were in the greatest abundance. I requested per- mission to join the party, as my object was to see the country ; and I could get no steam-boat, or other oppor- tunity gf visiting St. Peter’s and the Falls of St. Anthony. We accordingly set out in a large boat, containing about twenty men, a light cart, a pony, plenty of provi- sions, and a due supply of ammunition. Being obliged to ascend the Mississippi about ten miles, our progress was extremely slow ; for the stream was strong, the head wind blowing pretty fresh (accompanied by an icy chilling sleet) ; and the boat could only be propelled by being pushed up with long poles along the shores of the various islands, where the current was the least formida- ble. However, as it was a “ party of pleasure,” the men were in the highest spirits, forgot the wet and the cold, and the boat echoed with jokes and laughter. A cap was blown overboard, and a fellow plunged head over heels into the stream after it ; he went some feet under water, rose, swam in pursuit, recovered the cap, bore it in triumph to land, and running up along the bank, was taken again on board. The island which we were here passing was the scene, a few years ago, of one of those horrible tragedies at which humanity shudders, and which Cooper has painted in colours equally graphic and ter- rible. The Sioux and the Winnebagoes* had been for some * This nation is called among the Canadian French “ Les Puans they came originally from the borders of Lake Michigan, near the vil- lages of the Sakies and the Outagamies or Foxes, and the name by which they arc known among early travellers is Qtchagr?s ; according to HORRIBLE TRAGEDY. 63 time at war, but had agreed upon a temporary cessation of hostilities* when a party of about eight warriors of the former tribe came down to the bank of the river, and saw on the island a Winnebago encampment containing ele- ven persons, all women and children, the men having gone out upon a hunting expedition ; the sight of these helpless victims aroused the thirst of the Sioux for blood ; and regardless of the truce, they plunged into the river, swam to the island,, and commenced an indiscriminate massacre. One heroic boy only escaped : he drew his little arrow to the feathers, buried it deep in the breast of one of his enemies, then plunging into the thickets, fled, not for safety, but revenge. Swimming the river, he ran down its eastern bank to Fort Crawfurd, where his dread- ful tale soon drew to his side many of his own tribe, who instantly returned with him toward the island, ac- companied by a party of soldiers and several officers (of whom my informant was one), who were ordered to use their best endeavours to overtake and capture the Sioux ; but in the meantime, these latter, aware of the pursuit that would immediately ensue, completed hastily their murderous work, and scalping all their victims, retreated with their bloody trophies into the wilds of their own territory. When the Winnebagoes arrived at the scene of slaugh- ter, their shouts and yells were deafening. Women and children had joined them in great numbers, and mingled their shrieks and lamentations with the revengeful cries of the men. At lengt h they espied the body of the Sioux, whom the brave boy had pierced with his arrow ; he was by this time quite dead, but had contrived to crawl a few hundred paces from the encampment, and thus his com- panions had, in the hurry of their flight, forgotten to car- ry off his body.* The Winnebagoes now surrounded it, some of whom they received the beautiful appellation of Les Puans, because, when first visited by the whites, their village, on the edge of the marsh, was full of stale and stinking fish. * The Indians never leave the bodies of their slain in the hands of the enemy, but carry them off at all risks and hazards. After some of the most bloody conflicts, in which the Americans have known that [ great numbers of Indians must have fallen, they have often traversed the field of action without finding many, if any, of their dead. 84 horrible tragedy. and prepared to wreak upon it all the indignities which fury and revenge could suggest. The minister on whom the office devolved, was a handsome young girl of eighteen, who was the nearest relative present of those who had been massacred : she stept forward with a countenance calm and unmoved, seized the scalping- knife, divided the bones of the breast with a skill and ra- pidity which proved that the work was neither new nor unpleasant to her ; and tearing out the heart, cut it into small slices, which she presented warm and reeking to the savage men around her, who ate them in gloomy and revengeful silence ! In the whole history of the female sex, from the fierce treachery of Sisera, or the classic legend of Medea, down to the modern dramatic fiction of Helen Macgregor, I do not remember to have met with so fine a subject for the pencil of a Spagnoletto or a Guido, as this young and beautiful priestess of Nemesis, surrounded by her mur- dered kindred, offering the horrible banquet of the mur- derer’s heart, not to satiate, but to excite, the vengeful fury of the survivors of her tribe ! Would that I could see it on canvass, as I now have it before my mind’s eye, with all the splendid accompaniments belonging to the scene ! the glorious Mississippi sweeping by ; the dusky groups bending with smothered grief and rage over the mutilated bodies of their friends ; the white men in the back-ground looking on in the silence of pity and horror, and above all, the dreadful priestess of the bleed- ing heart ! Oh ! it is too horrible to think upon ! and yet the injury suffered by these poor savages, almost gives a tragic sublimity to a scene, which under other circum- stances could be contemplated only with loathing and disgust. ENCAMPMENT OF WINNEBAGOES. 85 CHAPTER VI. Encampment of Winnebagoes. — Their Lodges — Women of the Tribe. — Arrival at the Painted Rock. — March into the Interior. — Our Party reconnoitred by an Indian. — Language of the Winnebagoes. — A halfbreed Interpreter. — Hunting Expedition on Turkey River. — Stratagem of our Indian Neighbours. — Bee-hunting. — A Stag bathing. — Disappointment. — Search for Deer. — A Doe shot. — Prairies and Woods set on lire by the Indians. — Critical Situation.— A Forest Conflagation. — Prairie Wolves. — Return to the Fort. — Fallacious Assertions. — Tribes in the Neighbourhood of the Fort. — An Excur- sion. — Ascent of a steep Bluff — Reception in a Log-hut. — Fertile District. — Beautiful Woodland Scene. After passing this tragic island we came to another, on which was an encampment of Winnebagoes. As we expected to take in at this place a Canadian, who was going to hunt in the West, we landed, and were by no means sorry to creep into the lodges and warm ourselves, as we were annoyed both by cold and rain. The lodges of this tribe are entirely different from those of the Paw- nees, although like them they are formed of skins : they are circular, and vary in size according to the wealth or number of the occupants ; there are two apertures for the admission of light and air ; one, the door, over which in cold weather a kind of flap, or curtain, is made to fall ; the other, in the centre of the summit, by which the smoke escapes from the fire below. They have many more comforts, such as domestic utensils for cookery, &c., than the Pawnees, or other wild tribes, owing to their proximity to, and intercourse with, the whites ; but they pay dearly for these in the fondness which they have acquired for whiskey, and the consequent diminution of their numbers and degradation of their character. The women are prettier (or rather not so homely) as those among the Pawnees ; but, upon the whole, they are less good-looking than the Menomenee girls, among whom I have seen a few with good features and most Vol. II.— H 86 INDIAN SCOUT. graceful forms. If an Indian girl is beautiful, it is im- possible to avoid feeling the greatest interest for her : one remembers the drudgery and slavery which she must undergo, the low and degrading place allotted to her in the scale of society ; and there is a repose and resigna- tion in her countenance, which cannot fail to excite com- passion and pity, and these (as the poet tells us) prepare the heart for the reception of yet warmer feelings. In spite of wind and sleet, we were soon obliged to resume our slow ascent of the river, and in due course of time arrived at Painted Rock, the place of our de- barkation. We pitched our tent in a low marshy hollow, which would be an admirable situation for a temple to the goddess of fever and ague. On the following morn- ing we commenced our march into the interior; the whole party (consisting of three officers, four soldiers, myself, and servant) was on foot, and a stout pony drew our baggage in a sort of springless vehicle, resembling a small English tax-cart. After a tedious march over a high, barren, and uninteresting prairie, for three days, at the rate of twenty or twenty-five miles a day, we arrived at the point on Turkey river at which our grand hunt w r as to commence. On the third day, in the forenoon, an Indian came gal- lopping down with a loose rein toward us. On a nearer approach he proved to be a Winnebago, who had left his band (which was distant two or three miles) to recon- noitre our party. We soon came up with their main body, which was encamped by the side of a w r ooded hill, and presented a wild and picturesque appearance. They had just struck their Lodges, and were loading the horses to recommence their march, when we came up with them. Two or three of the chiefs, and the principal men, were silting, as usual, and smoking, while the women gathered the bundles and packs, and the boys ran or gallopped about, catching the more wild and refractory beasts of burthen. The officer of our party knew the chief, who had been down frequently to Fort Crawfurd, and we accordingly sat down and smoked the pipe of peace and recognition. The conversation between white men and Winneba- HALF-BREED INTERPRETER. 87 goes is almost always carried on in Saukie, Menomenee, or some other dialect of the Chippeway, as their own language can scarcely be acquired or pronounced by any but their own tribe : it is dreadfully harsh and guttural ; the lips, tongue, and palate, seem to have resigned their office to the uvula in the throat, or to some yet more remote ministers of sound. In all the Upper Mississippi I only heard of one white man who could speak and un- derstand it tolerably ; but their best interpreter is a half- breed named Pokette, who is equally popular with his white and red brethren ; the latter of whom have granted him several fine tracts of land in the Wisconsin territory, where he resides. I am told that he keeps thirty or forty horses, and has made a fortune of above one hum dred thousand dollars. I fell in with him at Galena, and had half an hour’s conversation with him, only for the pleasure of looking at him and scanning his magnificent and Herculean frame. I think he is the finest (though by no means the largest) mould of a man that ever I saw : he is about sb(. feet four inches in height, and as perfectly proportioned as painter or statuary could desire. Perhaps his arms and legs are too muscular for perfect beauty of form ; still, that is a defect easily pardoned. His countenance is open, manly, and intelligent ; and his ruddy brown complexion, attesting the mingled blood of two distinct races, seems to bid defiance to cold, heat, or disease. He is proverbially good-natured, and is universally com sidered the strongest man in the Upper Mississippi. He is said never to have struck any person in anger except one fellow, a very powerful and well-known boxer, from one of the towns on the river, who had heard of Pokette’s strength, and went to see him with the de^ termination of thrashing (or, in American phrase, whip- ping) him. Accordingly he took an opportunity of giving a wanton and cruel blow to a favourite dog belonging to Pokette ; and on the latter remonstrating with him on his conduct, he attempted to treat the master as he had treat-? ed the dog. On offering this insolent outrage, he re- ceived a blow from the hand of Pokette which broke the 88 HUNTING EXPEDITION. bridge of his nose, closed up both his eyes, and broke or bruised some of the bones of the forehead so severely as to leave his recovery doubtful for several weeks. To return to the Winnebago encampment. As the Indians were also upon a hunting expedition on Turkey river, we all started together, and went a few miles in the same direction ; but we soon divided, and they pro- ceeded to the south-west, while our party kept a north- west course ; consequently, on reaching the river, they were camped about six or eight miles below us. I little thought that these rascals would sc pertinaciously and successfully endeavour to spoil our sport ; but I suppose they considered us intruders, and determined to punish us accordingly. We had, in the mean time, killed nothing but a few pheasants and grouse ; but our object in com- ing to Turkey river was to find deer, elks, and bears, all of which we had been taught to expect in abundance. We pitched our camp in a well-wooded valley (called here a “ bottom ”) formed by the river ; our wigwam was constructed, after the Menomenee fashion, of mats made from a kind of reed, and bound firmly in a semi- circular form to a frame-work of willow, or other elastic wood, fastened by strings formed from the bark of the elm. The soldiers cut an abundance of fire-wood, and we were well provided with flour, biscuit, coffee, and pork ; so that we had little to fear from cold or hunger. The day after our arrival we all set off in different di- rections in search of game. Some of the party content- ed themselves with shooting ducks and pheasants ; I and two or three others went in pursuit of the quadruped game. I confess I expected to kill one or two elk, per- haps a bear, and common deer ad libitum; however, after a walk of six or eight hours, during which I forded the river twice, and went over many miles of ground, I returned without having seen a single deer. This sur- prised me the more, as I saw numberless beds and paths made by them, but no track of either elk or bear. My brother sportsmen were equally unfortunate, and no ve- nison graced our board. I had, however, heard a great many shots, some of which were fired before daylight. A STAG BATHING. 89 and we soon perceived that our Indian neighbours had laid a plan to drive all the deer from the vicinity of our encampment. We continued to while away some hours very agree- ably in bee-hunting, at which sport two or three of the soldiers were very expert. Of the bee-trees which we cut down, one was very rich in honey ; the flavour was delicious, and I ate it in quantities which would have nauseated me had it been made from garden plants, in- stead of being collected from the sweet wild flowers of the prairie. Our life was most luxurious in respect of bed and board, for we had plenty of provisions, besides the pheasants, grouse, &c., that we shot ; and at night the soldiers made such a bonfire of heavy logs as to defy the annoyances of wet and cold. The second day’s sport was as fruitless as the first ; but the same firing continued all around us, for which we vented many maledictions on our Indian tormentors. On the third day I contented myself with sauntering along the bank of the river and shooting a few pheasants : evening was closing in, the weather was oppressively warm, and I lay down at the foot of a great tree to rest and cool myself by the breath of a gentle breeze, which crept with a low whisper through its leaves, when I dis- tinctly heard a plashing noise in the water at the dis- tance of a hundred yards. I rolled myself, silently and stealthily as a snake, toward the spot — the plashing still continued, and I thought.it must be an Indian, either per- forming his ablutions, or walking up the bed of the stream, in order to conceal his foot-prints. At length I reached the unwieldy slump of a fallen tree, from which I could command a view of the water; and raising my head cauliously, saw a magnificent stag bathing and re- freshing himself, unconscious of the glittering tube w r hich was pointed straight at his heart. I never saw a more noble or graceful animal ; he toss- ed his great antlers in the air, then dipped his nose in the water and snorted aloud; then he stamped with his feet, and splashed till the spray fell over his sleek and dappled sides. Here a sportsman would interrupt me, saying, “ A truce to your description — did you shoot him H* 90 LYING IN WAIT. through the brain or through the heart ?” And a fair querist might ask-, “ Had you the heart to shoot so beau- tifirl a creature ?” Alas ! alas ! my answer would satisfy neither ! I had left my rifle at home, and had only my fowling-piece, loaded with partridge-shot; I was sixty yards from the stag, and could not possibly creep, undis- covered, a step nearer, and I had not the heart to wound the poor animal, where there was little or no chance of killing him. I therefore saw him conclude his bath ; and then clearing, at one bound, the willow bushes which fringed the opposite bank, he disappeared in a thicket. I marked well the place, and resolving to take an early opportunity of renewing my visit under more favourable circumstances, returned home. On the following day 1 sallied forth with my trusty double rifle, carefully loaded, each barrel carrying a ball weighing an ounce. I chose the middle of the day, be- cause the deer, after feeding all the morning, generally go down to the streams to drink previous to their lying down during the warm hours of noon-tide. I crept noise- lessly to iny stump, gathered a few scattered branches to complete the shelter of my hiding-place, and lay down with that mingled feeling (so well known to eveiy hun- ter) which unites the impatience of a lover with the pa- tience of Job ! I suppose I had been there nearly two hours, when I thought I heard a rustling on the opposite side ; it was only a squirrel hopping from bough to bough. Again I was startled by a saucy pheasant, that seemed conscious of the security which he now gained from his insignificance, and strutted, and scraped, and crowed within a few paces of the muzzle of my rifle. At length I distinctly heard a noise among the willows, on which my anxious look was rivetled ; it grew louder and louder, and then I heard a step in the water, but could not yet see my victim, as the bank made a small bend, and he was concealed by the projecting bushes. I held my breath, examined the copper caps ; and, as I saw the willows waving in the very same place in which he had crossed the day before, I cocked and pointed my rifle at the spot where he must emerge : the willows on the very edge of the bank move, — my finger is on the SEARCH FOR DEER. 95 trigger, when, not my noble stag, but an Indian, carry- ing a hind-quarter of venison, jumps down upon the smooth sand of the beach ! J was so mad with anger and disappointment, that I could scarcely take the sight of the rifle from the fellow’s breast ! I remained motion- less, but watching all his movements. He put down his rifle and his venison; and shading his eyes with his hands, made a long and deliberate examination of the bank on which I was concealed; but my faithful stump was too much even for his practised eyes, and I remained unobserved. He then examined, carefully, every deer- track and foot-print on the sand whereon he stood ; after which, resuming his rifle and meat, he tried the river at several places, in order to find the shallowest ford. As it happened, he chose the point exactly opposite to me ; so that when he came up the bank, he was within a few feet of me. He passed close by my stump without noticing me, and I then gave a sudden and loud Pawnee yell. He certainly did jump at this unexpected appari- tion of a man armed with a rifle ; but I hastened to dis- pel any feelings of uneasiness by friendly signs, because I do not conceive such a trial to be any fair test of a man’s courage, and I have no doubt that if he had given me a similar surprise, I should have been more startled than he was. He smiled when I showed him my hiding-place, and explained to him my object in selecting it. I took him home to our wigwam ; and, as my companions had met with no success, we bought his meat for some bread and a drink of whiskey. On the following day I determined to get a deer, and accordingly started with two soldiers to a large grove or bottom, where they had seen several the evening before. The weather was dry; and as our footsteps on the dead leaves were thus audible at a great distance, the difficulty of approaching so watchful an enemy was much in- creased. As the Indians had driven off the greater part of the game from our immediate neighbourhood, we walked ten or eleven miles up the river before we began to hunt; we then followed its win ling descent, and saw three or four does, but could not get near enough to shoot; at length, one started near me, and gallopped off 92 FIRE IN THE PRAIRIE. through the thick brushwood. I fired, and wounded it very severely ; it staggered, and turned round two or three limes; still it got off through the thicket before I could get another sight of it. At the same time I heard ano- ther shot fired by a soldier a quarter of a mile on our right. I looked in vain for .blood, by which to track my wounded deer, and gave it up in despair, when, just as I was making towards the river, to rejoin my companion, I came upon some fresh blood-tracks ; after following them a hundred yards, I found a doe quite dead, but still warm ; I thought it was the one which I had just shot, and hallooed to the soldier, who returned to assist me in skinning and hanging it up out of reach of the wolves. On examining the wound, the doe proved to be the one which he had shot., as the ball had entered on the right side, and I had fired from the left ; he thought he had missed her. We found no more game this day, and returned to the camp. The other sportsmen had met with no success. The Indians now set fire to the prairies and woods all around us, and the chance of good sport daily diminished. These malicious neighbours were determined to drive us from the district; they evidently watched our every mo- tion ; and whenever we entered a wood or grove to hunt, they were sure to set the dry grass on fire. Half a mile to the windward they pursued this plan so effectually, as not only to spoil our hunting, but, on two occasions, to oblige me to provide hastily for my personal safety : on the first of these, they set fire to a wood where I was passing, and compelled me to cross a creek for fear of being overtaken by the flames ; on the second, having watched me as I crossed a large dry prairie, beyond which was some timber that I wished to try for deer, they set fire to the grass in two or three places to the windward ; and as it was blowing fresh at the time, I saw that I should not have time to escape by flight ; sol resorted to the simple expedient, in which lies the only chance of safety on such occasions : I set the prairie on fire where I myself was walking, and then placed myself in the mid- dle of the black barren space which I thus created, and which covered many acres before the advancing flames FOREST CONFLAGRATION. 93 reached its border ; when they did so, they naturally ex- pired for want of fuel, but they continued their leaping, smoking, and crackling way on each side of me, to the right and to the left. It was altogether a disagreeable sensation, and I was half choked with hot dust and smoke. On the following afternoon, I went out again in a direction that we had not tried, where the prairie was not yet burnt. I could find no deer, and the shades of night began to close round me, when, on the opposite hills to those on which l stood, I observed two or three slender pillars of curling smoke arising out of the wood, which was evidently now fired on purpose by the Indians. I sat down to watch the effect ; for, although I had seen many prairie fires, I had never enjoyed so good an op- portunity as the present ; for the ground rose in a kind of amphitheatre, of which I had a full and commanding view. Now the flames crept slowly along the ground, then, as the wind rose, they burst forth with increasing might, fed by the dry and decayed elders of the forest, which crackled, tottered, and fell beneath their burning power, they now rose aloft in a thousand fantastic and picturesque forms, lighting up the whole landscape to a lurid hue ; while the dense clouds of smoke which rolled gloomily over the hills, mixed with the crash of the fall- ing timber, gave a dreadful splendour to the scene. I sat for some time enjoying it ; and when I rose to pur- sue my course towards home, I had much difficulty in finding it. The night relapsed into its natural dark- ness ; the prairie at my feet was black, burnt, and track- less, and I could see neither stream nor outline of hill by which to direct my steps. I sat down again for a few minutes to rest myself, and to recollect, as well as I might be able, any or all the circumstances which should guide me in the direction which, I ought to take. While I remained in this posi- tion a band of prairie wolves, on an opposite hill, began their wild and shrill concert ; and I was somewhat start- led at hearing it answered by the long loud howl of a single wolf, of the large black species, that stood and grinned at me, only a few yards from the spot where I 94 RETURN TO THE FORT. was seated. I did not approve of so close a neighbour- hood lo ibis animal, and I called to him to be off, think- ing that the sound of my voice would scare him away ; but as he still remained I thought it better to prepare my rifle, in case he should come still nearer, but determined not to fire unless the muzzle touched his body, as it was too dark to make a sure shot at any distance beyond a few feet. However, he soon slunk away, and left me alone. Fortunately I remembered the relative bearings of our camp, and of the point whence the wind came, and after scrambling ihrough a few thickets, and breaking my shins over more than one log of fallen wood, I reached home without accident or adventure. The whole country around us was now so completely burnt up and devasta- ted, that nothing remained for us but to resume our march toward the fort. We returned by the same dull and tiresome route by which we had arrived. The weather was raw and cold, and our only occupation was to shoot a few grouse for dinner and supper, by wandering off to the right or left of the trail. We arrived safely at the cantonment, having been absent nearly a fortnight. Those who had expected excellent sport must have been much disap- pointed ; as for myself, I had been so often “ taken in” since I came to this country, that I was rather cautious in giving credit to the stories of the abundance of game with which settlers in the western world amuse stran- gers. It has occurred to me lo be told, “ Sir, the deer in my neighbourhood are actually swarming ; they come nightly into my garden ; we have as much venison as we choose lo kill ; if you will qome and pay me a visit, 1 will go out with you, and insure you a dozen shots in a day.” I have paid the visit, and have walked with my host from morning till night, during which time I got one, or perhaps two shots : my consolation has been the renewed assurance that he never went over the same ground without seeing fifty deer.” In fact, this ampli- fication forms a prominent feature of their character ; and not content with the extent and fertility of their territory, the magnificence of their rivers and forests, all of which tribes near the port. 95 are unequalled in the civilized world, they will claim for themselves a similar pre-eminence in cases where it is so evidently undeserved, that a traveller feels an inclination to discredit all alike. However, he must not allow him- self to be carried away by this prejudice ; although the American geese are not sw r ans, they are very good geese. During my stay at the fort, I went frequently to visit the lodges of Indians scattered about the neighbourhood : they consist mostly of Winnebagoes and Menomenees (or wild rice Indians); and I gathered from them as much information as possible regarding their customs and languages (see Appendix.) Some of the girls of the latter tribe have the prettiest features that I have seen among the Indians: but they have not escaped the de* moralization inseparable from intercourse with the whites, and most of those who are good-looking are mistresses to persons in or about the garrison. Of course they do not consider such a connexion disreputable, and generally adhere to it with the strong attachment and patient fidelity which distinguish their character. In this neigh- bourhood I saw occasionally also a few Sakies, and some of the Outagami (or Fox) tribe (see Appendix.) Having remained for some days enjoying the comforts and hospitalities of the cantonment, I hired a French lad with a cart and horse, in order that I might have an op- portunity of seeing the country between Prairie du Chien and Galena, which had been represented to be as very interesting and beautiful. I started on foot with my gun in my hand ; and after walking six or seven miles, came to the Wisconsin river, which I crossed by a ferry ; after which I proceeded by a prairie road toward the house of a gentleman to whom I had been introduced at the fort, and who had invited me to spend a day or two with him. After leaving a valley formed by a streamlet running into the Wiscon- sin, the road led tip a bluff, which was certainly the steepest that ever I saw attempted by a cart or carriage, not excepting the “ Back-bone ” of the Alleghanies, in Virginia, which cost me such anxiety and labour the pre- ceding year. However, the cart was light : I, my ser- 96 FERTILE DISTRICT. vant, and the Canadian lad, worked the wheels and push* ed behind, while the boy urged his sturdy little steed by repeated cries of “ Allons !” “ Marche done !” &c. By dint of our joint efforts, and tacking frequently in the course of the ascent, we reached the summit in safety, although the pony’s exertions caused him to fall more than once, and it required all our strength to prevent the whole caravan — .men, horse, cart, and baggage — from rolling together to the bottom of the hill. At the corner of a maize field, about twenty-five miles from the fort, I had been directed to bear off to the right- hand. T accordingly did so ; and after losing my way only once among the woods, reached Mr. E ’s house just as evening was closing in. Like many of the emi- grants into this country, which was so lately a wilderness, he lived in a small log-hut, less spacious and weather proof than the cottage of the poorest English peasant ; but with a good fire, a warm welcome, and a smoking hot supper, he must be but a poor traveller who cannot make himself comfortable. My hostess, his lady, went about her cabin “ on hospitable thoughts intent,” and left me leisure to play with a fine little child of seven or eight years old, who was the youngest and of course the pet of the family. Just by the door, suspended by the neck, were three of the finest wild geese that I ever saw, which Mr. E had killed on the day before, at one shot, and the venison steaks on the supper-table contri- buted to the excitement of my sporting propensities; but the weather was extremely unpropitious for deer- hunting, as the frost was hard, dry, and still, so that a hunter’s foot might be heard for several hundred yards ; consequently we saw a few, but did not fire a shot, on the morning after my arrival. The district which I had now reached is one of the most tempting to an emigrant of any that I have seen : it is watered by the Grant river, one of the most beau- tiful winding streams in America ; its banks are here and there clothed with the finest timber, abounding in deer and other game ; in some places it has formed a deposite of alluvium, on which corn, grass, and every vegetable production can be raised in the greatest abundance. FERTILE DISTRICT. 97 The general character of the country is undulating (or, as it is termed in America, “ rolling ”), the soil is of the finest quality, and a ready market for farm produce can. be found at several neighbouring towns, such as Prairie du Chien, Galena, Dubuques, and other places, where the mining population already requires twenty times the supply that the country farmers can afford ; while the unexplored mines of lead render the value of land great beyond calculation : at this time it was in the market at one and a quarter dollar per acre, the fixed government price. In one respect I prefer it very much to any situation, that I have seen in the Great Mississippi valley, namely, in its healthiness. Fever and ague, those dreadful scourges of Illinois, Missouri, and the other states bor- dering on the great western water, seem here unknown ; and the inhabitants are also free from the pulmonary com- plaints so common in the eastern sates. In the coo- lies,* or little valleys, lying between the ridges of hill, by which the country is intersected, are springs of the purest and most delicious water ; while all the vegetables most valuable for domestic use, are raised abundantly with the least possible cultivation. Ireland herself can- not boast of potatoes more mealy or farinaceous, nor did. I ever see them attain so great a size ; one of them is sometimes put into a dish alone, and is sufficient for two or three persons. Peas, beans, turnips, and beet of every description, come to the same perfection ; and the beef and mutton are the best that I have eaten in the United States. On the second day of my arrival it rained without ceasing, and there was no wind ; so that there was little chance of sport. At night the weather changed sud- denly, and severe frost ensued. On the following morn- ing I went out soon after dawn to enjoy the fresh, air, and the bright beams of a young sun. I never shall for- get the beauty of that woodland scene. Every “ herb, tree, fruit, flower, glistened with dew, and not only with dew, but with the rain of the previous day, frozen into * A western phrase, obviously from the French. VOL. II. — I 98 WOODLAND FROST. the most bright and shining crystals, reflecting, according to their forms, the various prismatic hues with which they were impregnated by the solar rays. Neither the pencil of the painter, nor pen of the poet, could convey a representation of the resplendent brilliancy of Nature’s spangled mantle of ice on that lovely morning : the an- cient forest looked like one of those great crystalline pa- laces, created by the fertile imagination of Ariosto ; and a northern Arrnida might have made her bower among the fantastic yet graceful vines which hung from the spreading arms of the forest trees ; every curl of their “ leafy tresses” terminating in resplendent icicles. I have seen, in the court of the sovereign, and in some of the assemblies of British fashion, the brow, the neck, and the waist of beauty, adorned with diamonds of inestima- ble value ; shining and brilliant they were too, — but, oh ! how far less bright and lustrous than those with which the humblest bush, or shrub, was decked on this lovely morning by the icy breath of winter ! I could not help calling to mind one of those passages, in which the Divine Moralist and Legislator reproves the vanity of man : — “ Look at the lilies of the field ; they toil not, neither do they spin ; yet Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these !” ENGLISH SETTLER. 99 CHAPTER VII. An English Settler. — Search for Deer. — Excursion to Dubuques. — • River Platte. — Crossing the Ferry. — The Ferryman’s Extortion. — ■ Ramble among the Mountains — its Excitement. — “ Awkward Slue.” — Deer Feeding. — Practice in Woodcraft. — Beautiful Scene. — Din* nerin the Ferryman’s House. — A Western Twilight. — Arrival at Du- buques. — Company in the Bar-room of the Tavern. — Meeting with Dr. M. of the United States Army. — Our Dormitory. — Singular Dia- logue. — Theft rare in the Towns on the Mississippi. — Mines near Dubuques. — Religious Service in the Town. — A Bully. — Whimsical Delusion. — Tomb of a Spanish Miner. — Mr. F. the Geologist. — Arrival at St. Louis. — Mean Extortion. I remained another day with my host on Grant river, and then proceeded to a farmer’s house about fifteen miles farther to the south. The soil here was much the same in quality as that which I had just left. Settlers were rapidly emigrating into this country ; among them I found an English labourer and his wife, who had just finished the building of a neat wooden cottage, the inte- rior of which, with its corner cupboard of Staffordshire crockery, gave sufficient evidence of the land whence its occupants came : they had only been settled in this quarter two years, but every thing around them bore the marks of comfort and prosperity ; cattle, pigs, and poul- try, loitered round their cabin, a pair of stout horses stood in the corner of an enclosure feasting on a heap of maize, and the table was* well supplied with milk, tea, butter, venison, potatoes, and honey. It was impossible (in spite of that love of home which amounts in me to a prejudice) not to contrast in my imagination their present situation with that which they filled three years ago as day labourers in Staffordshire ; the man earning with difficulty two dollars per week, and either suffering all the miseries of poverty and want, or squabbling with an overseer for some pitiful allowance of two or three shil- lings extra, in consequence of having encumbered him- self and the parish with a fine family of children. 100 EXCURSION TO DUBUQUES. I found at my new halting-place several woodsmen who were out in search of deer : I accompanied them, and on the first day one of them killed a buck ; I did not get a shot. On the second day I was more successful, as I wounded one in the morning, which we afterwards secured; and later in the day I killed another deer, but it was young, and not very fat. J then left my servant and baggage to go on to Galena, while I struck off on foot to see the country, with the intention of crossing the river to Dubuques, which I have before noted as being remarkable for the rich mines of lead in its neighbourhood. As the distance was about forty-five miles, and I wished to arrive by daylight, I did not judge it prudent to decline my worthy host’s offer of a horse for the first ten or fifteen miles. I accordingly took with me only a pedestrian’s proper equipage ; name- ly, a tooth-brush in my pocket, and a walking-stick in my hand, and started, accompanied by a boy, who was to act as guide, and to lead back my steed. I rode the fifteen miles through an undulating w’ooded country only partially “settled,” but possessing every advantage and capability for agriculture; namely, rich soil, fine timber, and excellent water. 1 then sent back the boy ; and getting all the information possible respect- ing the paths to the right, to the left, round one hill and across another, and receiving repealed assurances that I could not miss my way, (for the good reason, that my informant knew it as well as a cockney knows the road to Highgate,) I struck alone into the woods. All went right for the first few miles, and I trudged merrily along, astonishing the quiet old forest sometimes with the “ High- land Laddie,” or “ Bonnie Prince Charlie ;” sometimes attempting the Pawnee yell, (which last, by the by, would ten years ago have transferred my scalp into the hands of some prowling Saki,*) w r hen my mirth and music were suddenly checked by a fork in the little path which I was following. The two new trails were equally dis- tinct ; both seemed to lead toward ihe Mississippi, and I had been told to take the first path to the right : I he- * This territory belonged then to the tribe called Sdkies and Foxes* CROSSING THE FERRY. 101 sitated a minute or two, during which I consulted my compass, and had time to observe faint traces of a horse’s hoof in that which led to the left; and, as I knew that I had to cross a horse-ferry over the river Platte,* I struck off into the latter, in defiance of my instructions. My “ calculations” proved correct, and after an hour’s brisk walking I reached the said ferry. This river Platte is a beautiful winding stream, about as large as the Trent, near Newark or Clifton. The weather was extremely cold ; a little snow had fallen,, and this rendered the finding of a small path in these woods no easy task, as no person or animal had passed it since the snow-fall. I hailed some people who were on the opposite bank at work, to bring me over a boat, or some means of crossing : they hallooed to ask if I could “ paddle a skiff t on my answering in the affirma- tive, I was told, that, if I looked down the stream, I should find one in the reeds, and I might paddle myself over. The shore was marshy, and the frost just hard enough to make a kind of crusted mud, which would not bear my weight, but would (and did) considerably annoy my ancles and shins ; however, there was no remedy, and I scrambled on through the reeds, (from which the sun had melted the snow just enough to wet me up to the shoul- ders,) and, at length, discovered the skifft , a huge, clumsy canoe, hollowed out from the trunk of a sycamore ; it contained no bench to sit upon, and was half full of wa- ter : altogether, 1 fancy it must have been a specimen of naval architecture not unlike the old ship Argo ; how- ever, my classical parallel must stop here, for 1 claim no resemblance to Theseus, and was much more disposed to attack a leg of mutton than to go in quest of a golden fleece. I seized the paddle and pushed off; and as I sat in this floating cold bath, and made it creep, sluggishly through the water, I muttered to myself (not for the first time in my life) old Horace’s “ Illi robur et ces triplex /” My craft was so water-logged that the least lateral mo- * The rivers in America have undergone almost as much reduplica- tion of appellatives as her cities. In my western tour I have already met with four rivers named “ Platte.” 1 * 102 ferryman’s extortion. tion would have filled and sunk her; and I began to think, if I were to be drowned there, what would be my elegy. Should I, if I stuck between the reeds and mud, find any bird to sing over me (like the swan in Maeander) “ Sic ubi fata vocant udis abjectus in herbis ?” Should I, like Palmurus, immortalize the “ unknown strand” on which I was cast? Was there any Milton to make a Lycidas of me ? Alas ! no. My elegy must have come from the pen of the' great comedian, “ Que diable allait-il faire dans cette galere ? n Despite these melancholy musings, I brought my Argo safe into port, sprang up the bank, and proceeded to question the “ gentleman of the ferry,” (who, with his hands thrust comfortably into his side-pockets, and a quid in his cheek, had been a tranquil spectator of my naviga- tion,) respecting my route toward the next ferry where I was to cross the Mississippi. He told me “ that there was a path through the woods, that the distance was only eight or ten miles, but that I could not go on foot on account of an obstacle in the form of an ‘awkward slue.’ ”* Upon interrogating him farther respecting this “creek,” to which he applied the expressive epithets of “ugly” and “awkward,”! I learned that he considered it too wide to leap, too shallow to swim, and too deep in mud to wade ; and that I must go around and head it, which would not take me more than four or five miles out of my way. All this did sound somewhat “ awk- ward but I determined to adopt the motto of a sporting member of congress, well-known through all America, “ Go-a-head and I was about to do so, when the ferry- man reminded me that I had not paid, and put forth his hand for half a dollar. It did appear rather queer, that after breaking my shins among his half-frozen marshes, * I do not know how to spell this word : its general acceptation in the West is a channel made in the great river by an island ; the smaller branch, running between that island and the nearest shore is called “ a slue.” The place that I was about to cross was, properly speaking, “ a creek.” t 1 believe these two words are perfectly orthodox in the sporting world in the ‘‘ old country and there is no Meltonian to whom the terms “ an awkward brook,” and an “ugly fence,” are not unpleasantly iamiliar. RAMBLE ON THE MOUNTAINS. 103 and then exposing my life to the attacks of rheumatism, catarrh, &c., in bringing over to him his half-sunk canoe, I was to pay him for ferrying me ! While I was deliberating upon the propriety of making or resisting this payment, a drover came up who wished to have two yoke of oxen taken over. The large flat- boat was in still worse trim than my Argo, and conse- quently could not go over at all ; and he had no alterna- tive but to force his oxen into the river, and make them swim over. When I found that this fellow paid the ferriage for his oxen under these circumstances, I fol- lowed his example without murmur or hesitation — so great is the consolation which we derive from seeing our neighbour worse cheated than ourselves. Fortunate in- deed is it for the worthy ferryman, that the ex-member for Middlesex does not flourish in this district; for never was service non-performed so overpaid, nor sinecure so complete as his ; no, not in all the treasury records from the lime of the administration of Sir R. Walpole till that of Lord Grey. ► Wishing him “good morning,” I started again at a brisk pace, revolving in my mind the various plans by which 1 should attempt the passage of the “awkward slue.” I had now got among the high and steep bluffs which extend along the eastern shore of the Mississippi ;, my foot was on a hill ; I had walked just far enough to- stretch my muscles and to raise my spirits, and I bounded along, leaving “ care the canker” far behind. Brandish- ing my knotted cudgel, I felt not quite like Ascanius, as if I “ wished to see a bear or tawny lion spring from the- thicket ;” but as if I could have cracked the crown of the clerk of Copmanhurst himself in a good-humoured bout at quarter-staff. Indeed, T have never known such ex- citement from any exercise, not even from the head-long gallop of a buffalo chase, as I have experienced from a solitary walk among mountains; thoughts crowd upon thoughts, which I can neither control, nor breathe in words; I almost feel that I am a poet, but (as Byron beautifully expresses it) I “compress the god within me.” All the beloved dwellers in ihe secret cells of my memory walk by my side — I people the height of tho* 104 CROSSING THE SLUE. hill, and the shades of the forest, not only with those whom I have known, but with all my friends from fairy land ; and, in these illusions of my waking dream, I for- get time, fatigue, and distance, and sometimes lose my way ! My head full of these strange fantasies, and my feet feeling the sympathetic impulse of their excitement, a short hour brought me to the edge of the “ awkward slue.” It was indeed worthy of its appellation, and very nearly answered the description of the ferryman : it was a lazy muddy stream, with soft marshy banks, from which the boldest leaper among the Tyrolese chamois- hunters could not have attempted to spring. I soon found that my only alternative lay between going round or bridging it ; of course, I resolved upon attempting the latter. Unfortunately, I had no tomahawk with me, and was compelled to search about till I could find some fal- len tree which would bear my weight, and yet not be too heavy for me to drag or carry. Propitious Fate led me to a poplar of four or five inches diameter, which had been overthrown by the rough breath of Boreas ; I broke off as many branches as possible, and with some difficulty “toted” my burthen toward the slue : on reaching the bank, I found that my tree was scarcely long enough ; at least, it tapered so much toward the upper end, that I could not discreetly trust my weight to the latter ex- tremity. On examining a little farther up the stream, I saw an old decayed log projecting into it from the op- posite side, which appeared to have once formed part of a foot-bridge; thither I brought my poplar, and made it fall so that its top came across this old log: the only problem now was, whether the latter was rotten, and would betray the confidence which I was about to repose in it. However, we are often compelled, in life, to trust something to a man whom we know to be a rogue ; and having no choice but to trust my frail bridge, or remain where I was, (for what man, under thirty years of age, ever thought of going five miles round a creek not thirty feet broad ?) I threw my cudgel, shoes, and jacket over before me, with the same mingled spirit of gallantry and desperation with which Turenne threw his baton ds AUTUMN SCENERY. 105 marechal into the ranks of the enemy, and, then, not to follow was impossible. Arming myself with a long pole that could reach the bottom of the stream, and steadying myself on the trembling poplar, I came down to the “slippery verge,” and made my vows to the nvmpb of the flood, as Turnus did to his watery goddess-mother; I addressed the fifty daughters of Nereus, who preside over rivers and fountains ;* in short, like Gray’s immortal Pussie, I “ mewed to every watery god and with three or four steps, as firm, light, and rapid as I could make them, reached the opposite bank in safety. Having thanked all these propiiious nymphs for their favour in permitting me to pass the “ awkward slue,” (which cost me so much trouble to b r idge, and which has led me into the worse scfope of bringing Turenne, Tumus, an Athenian chorus, and a cat, all into one sentence,) I left my bridge and my pole for the benefit of the next way- farer. To resume my journey, and with it a pure Anglo- Saxon style, from which these classic images have se- duced me, I put on my jacket, and with my trusty staff in hand, pursued my way over hill and valley, as proud and self-satisfied as Caesar after he had made his famous bridge over the Rhine. The sun was verging toward the west, and I wished to reach Dubuques before night, lest I should lose my way. The afternoon was beauti- ful ; the sun brilliant; and the variety of light and shade occasioned by the high bluffs among which rav path wound, added a living freshness to scenery which was clothed in the rich and sombre garb of autumn. What do I see over yonder point ? Is it a forked piece of stick ? Does it not move ? — It does ; — it is the antlers of a buck ! Oh my rifle ! my rifle ! why, for the first time in my western tour, have I parted from thee ? Never did the unhorsed and desperate Richard, call with more frantic anxiety for a horse, than I now called for a 7T eVTrjKOVTa KOVpCU N?7p£Wf, al Kara tvovtov aevvauv TE TTOTa/jlLJV dcvac; x°pev6fxEvcu, k.t.'X. EURIP. ION. 106 MU, SINGS. rifle. It was all in vain. However, the opportunity for practice in wood-craft was not to be lost ; and throwing myself on the ground, I began to creep, in order to see how I could have managed him, had I been armed : get- ting well on his lee-side, and taking advantage of the ground, I crawled within forty paces of him. There was no brushwood, and he was securely cropping the short sweet grass near the summit of a high bluff, along the side of which were scattered a few fantastic and stunted blurr oaks. Like the Shakspearean Achilles (who, by the by, is as mean and cowardly a bully as ever drew breath), I looked my forest Hector all over, and selected the very spot where I could give the fatal wound. Peeping cautiously over the comb of the hill, I saw at a small distance two does feeding. I crept also within forty or fifty steps of them ; they seemed to trust them- selves altogether to the escort of their beau, and to pay exclusive attention to the delicate pasture which “ Na- ture boon” had placed before them. What a beautiful scene it was ! below me lay the vast expanse of the Mississippi, on whose unruffled bosom the rays of the declining sun were “ In all their crimson glory spread.” The back-ground was filled by th^ dark w r ooded outline of the Hack Hawk territory, whilejon the chequered and undulating prairie, these three beautiful animals filled the fore-ground of my picture. I forgot my journey in the contemplation of this pros- pect, and my musings took the following direction : — “ What a creature of circumstances is man ! — here am I enjoying the repose of this scene, the harmonies of ani- mate and vegetable nature, and watching, almost with a feeling of tenderness, the grassy feast and playful move- ments of these three innocent creatures ! but, had I been walking with my rifle instead of my cudgel, not one of these ideas would have entered my brain ; I should have destroyed without mercy certainly one, perhaps two, of these deer; and instead of moralizing as I now am, over their grace and beauty, I should have been employed in DINNER AT THE FERRYMANS. 107 playing the forest butcher with my hunting-knife, and in ascertaining the quantity of fat on the haunch and ribs !” I was obliged to start up from these meditations, and to increase my speed in oyder to cross the Mississippi be- fore night-fall. As it was now a continued descent to the ferry, I ran most of the way, although there were many points where the beauty of the view tempted me to linger. On arriving I found that the ferryman’s canoe was ready, and that he wished me to lose no time, as he preferred returning before it was quite dark. He farmed a considerable tract of land ; and, like every farmer in the West, “kept entertainment.” Unfortunately for the alacrity of my movements, I saw, while passing the house, a table covered with a clean white cloth, on which were already placed sundry vessels containing hot corn- bread, fresh butter, milk, honey, and smoking potatoes; while the figure of the busy housewife stooping over the fire, accompanied by a certain hissing frizzing sound, announced that a dish of steaks was in the last stage of preparation. It will readily be believed that, after a ride of fifteen, and a walk of twenty-five miles (not to mention the construction of a bridge by the way), my eyes were not blind, nor my ears deaf, to these sights and sounds ; I hesitated — the proverb says that he who does so is lost: whether I verified it or not, I know not, but in two minutes I was sitting opposite the traveller for whom this dinner had been prepared. He seemed to be a quiet moderate man, totally unequal to the task of making any serious impression on the plentiful provision before him ; but the unflinching appetite of his ally promised an easy victory. The astonished dame stooped again to replen- ish the dish of venison steaks — more hot cakes were pro- duced ; in short, I might venture to assert without va- nity, that ample justice was done to the excellent cook- ery of mine hostess. I then embarked in ihe boat with my ferryman ; and soon after leaving the shore, induced him, by paying double fare, to land me two miles below the usual landing, by which means I should cut off four of the eight miles which yet remained of my journey. The sun was now throwing his parting glance on the summits of the eastern bluffs, while those on the west 108 WESTERN TWILIGHT. slept in gloomy shade ; the woods which skirt the river, were silent and black as night, and the river wore that dead and leaden colour which is thrown upon it by a western twilight ! I sat in the stern of the little boat, steering her with an oar, and enjoying that greatest of all promoters of philosophical meditation — a cigar. The evening frost now set in with great severity; the stars began to twinkle ; and as 1 was lightly dressed and had no sort of cloak or over-coat, I was not sorry when we reached the opposite shore, and I w ? as again enabled to walk myself into warmth and comfort. I reached Dubuques without accident, and proceeded to the only tavern of which it can boast. The landlord, whom 1 had met in the steamer, on ascending the Mis- sissippi, promised me a bed to myself ; a luxury that is by no means easily obtained by travellers in ihe West. The bar-room, which was indeed the only public sitting- v room, was crowded with a parcel of blackguard noisy miners, from whom the most experienced and notorious blasphemers in Portsmouth or Wapping might have taken a lesson ; and I felt more than ever annoyed by that absurd custom, so prevalent in America, of forcing travellers of quiet and respectable habits into the society of ruffians, by giving them no alternative but sitting in the bar-room or walking the street. It may be said that I am illiberal in censuring the cus- toms of a country, by reference to those of a small infant village ; but the custom to which I allude is not confined to villages; it it common to most towns in the West, and is partially applicable to the hotels in the eastern cities. They may have dining-rooms of enormous extent, tables groaning under hundreds of dishes ; but of com- fort, quiet, and privacy, they know but little. It is doubt- less true, that the bar of a small village tavern in Eng- - land may be crowded with guests, little, if at all, more re- fined or orderly ihan those Dubuques miners, but I never found a tavern in England so small or mean, that I could not have the comfort of a little room to myself, where I , might read, write, or follow my own pursuits without an- J noyance. 1 sat by the fire-side watching the strange and rough- SINGULAR DIALOGUE. 109 looking characters who successively entered to drink a glass of the nauseous dilution of alcohol, variously co- loured, according as they asked for brandy, whiskey, or rum, when a voice from the door inquiring of the land- lord. whether accommodations for the night were to be had, struck my ear as familiar to me. I rose to look at the speaker, and our astonishment was mutual, wnen I recognized Dr. M., of the United States army, who is a relative of its commander-in-chief. He is a very plea- sant gentlemanly man, from the state of New York, whose acquaintance I had made in my trip to Fort Leaven- worth, to which place he was now on his return. After an exchange of the first expressions of pleasure and sur- prise, I assisted him in getting up his baggage from the canoe in which he had come down the river, and in de- spatching a supper that was set before him. We then returned to the bar; and after talking over some of our adventures since we parted, requested to be shown to our dormitory. This was a large room, occupying the whole of the first floor, and containing about eight or nine beds ; the doctor selected one in the centre of the wall, opposite the door ; I chose one next to him, and the nearest to me was given to an officer who ac- companied the doctor. The other beds contained two or three persons, according to the number of guests requir- ing accommodation. The doctor, his friend, and I, resolutely refused to ad- mit any partner into our beds ; and, notwithstanding the noise and oaths still prevalent in the bar, we fell asleep. I was awakened by voices close to my bed-side, and turned round to listen to the following dialogue : — Doctor (to a drunken fellow who was taking off his coat and waistcoat close to the doctor’s bed). — “ Halloo ! where the devil are you coming to?” Drunkard . — “ To bed, to be sure !” Doctor . — “ Where ?” Drunkard . — “ Why, with you.” Doctor (raising his voice angrily). — “ I ’ll be d — d if you come into this bed !” Drunkard (walking off with an air of dignity). — “ Well, Vol. II.— K 110 RELIGIOUS SERVICE. you need not be so d — d particular ; — I ’m as particular as you, I assure you !” Three other tipsy fellows staggered into the room, soon after midnight, and slept somewhere ; they went off again before daylight without paying for their lodging, and the landlord did not even know that they had entered his house. It certainly appears at first sight to be a strange ana- moly in human nature, that at Dubuques, Galena, and other rising towns on the Mississippi, containing, in pro- portion to their size, as profligate, turbulent, and aban- doned a population as any in the world, theft is almost unknown ; and though dirks are frequently drawn, and pistols fired in savage and drunken brawls, ,by ruffians who regard neither the laws of God nor man, I do not believe that an instance of larceny or house-breaking has occurred. So easily are money and food here obtained by labour, that it seems scarcely worth a man’s while to steal. Thus, the solution of the apparent anomaly is to be found in this, that theft is a naughty child, of which idleness is the father and want the mother. I spent the following day in examining the mines near Dubuques, which are not generally so rich in lead as those hitherto found on the opposite shore, towards Ga- lena. However the whole country in the neighbourhood •contains mineral, and I have no doubt that diggings at a little distance from the town will be productive of great profits ; at all events, it will be, in my opinion, a greater and more populous town than Galena ever will become. The next day being Sunday, I attended religious ser- vice, which was performed in a small low room, scarcely capable of containing a hundred persons. The minister was a pale, ascetic, sallow looking man, and delivered a lecture dull and sombre as his countenance. However, it was pleasant to see even this small assemblage, who thought of divine worship in such a place as Dubuques. In the evening, there was more drunkenness and noise than usual about the bar, and one young man was pointed out to me as “ the bully” par excellence. He was a tall stout fellow, on whose countenance the evil passions had already set their indelible seal. He was said to be a TOMB OF DUBUQUES. Ill great boxer, and had stabbed two or three men with his dirk during the last ten days. He had two companions with him, who acted, I suppose, as myrmidons in his brawls. When he first entered, I was sitting in the bar reading ; he desired me in a harsh imperative tone, to move out of the way, as he wanted to get something to drink. There was plenty of room for him to go round my chair, without disturbing me ; so I told him to go round if he wished a dram. He looked somewhat sur- prised, but he went round, and I resumed my book. — Then it was that the landlord whispered to me the par- ticulars respecting him as given above. I confess, I almost wished that he would insult me, that I might try to break his head with my good cudgel, which was at hand, so incensed and disgusted was T at finding myself in the company of such a villain. However, he soon after left the room, and gave me no chance either of cracking his crown, or, what is much more probable, of getting five or six inches of his dirk into my body. I could not resist laughing at the absurdity of one of his companions, who was very drunk, and finding that his head was burning from the quantity of whiskey that he had swallowed, an idea came into it that would never have entered into the head of any man except an Irish- man, or a Kentuckian : he fancied that his hat was hot, and occasioned the sensation above mentioned ; accord- ingly, he would not be satisfied till the landlord put it into a tub of cold water, and filled it; he then desired it might be soaked there till morning, and left the house contented and bare-headed. I was obliged to remain here yet another day, as no steam-boat appeared. At length the Warrior touched, and took us off to Galena. We stopped a short time at a large smelting establishment, a mile or two below the town : on a high bluff which overlooks it is the tomb of Dubuques, a Spanish miner, from whom the place derives its name. The spot is marked by a cross, and I clambered up to see it. With a disregard of sepulchral sanctity, which I have before noticed as being too prevalent in America, I found that it had been broken down in one or two places; I picked up the skull and some other 112 MEAN EXTORTION. bones. The grave had been built of brick, and had ora one side a stone slab, bearing a simple Latin inscription, announcing that the tenant had come from the Spanish mines, and giving the usual data respecting his age, birth, death, &c. The view from this bold high bluff is very fine, but unfortunately the day on which I visited it was cloudy. At Galena I was much gratified to find that Mr. F., the geologist to the United States, was coming on board ; and being joined by my servant and baggage, we pro- ceeded on our descent of the river. I found that Mr. F., whose acquaintance I had made the year before in Washington, had just returned from an excursion in the Upper Mississippi, and the head-waters of the St. Pe- ter’s river, during which he had been some time among the Yanctons (a band of the great Sioux tribe.) We reached St. Louis fortunately, and only bumped the keel of our boat three or four times on the rocks, among the rapids ; but nothing worthy of notice occurred, except one little ciicumstance illustrative of character, no trait of which should ever be lost in traversing a country. It is well known that in America, especially in the west of it, a white servant is a being not understood ; and in travelling you will be asked, whether you pay for the gentleman who is with you ? or, whether you settle your friend’s account ? Consequently, I have met with some difficulty in regard to the charges made for my servant in the western steam-boats ; in some I have been obliged to pay the full, in others, half price. Accord- ingly, before bringing him on board, I explained to the captain, that, though a white man, he was my domestic, and inquired upon what terms he would take him. — After the usual arrangements about his eating and sleep- ing, the former of which he was to partake of after the cabin passengers, he agreed (in the hearing of a friend of mine) to take him for half price. A few hours before reaching St. Louis, where the fares were paid, he de- manded the whole fare the same as I paid for myself. — I reminded him of his own agreement ; however, the few dollars which he was to gain, were of higher value in his estimation than his word, and he insisted upon tho MEAN EXTORTION. 113 whole fare. Among other mean subterfuges, he pre- tended that he had not known the man by sight. The captain had dined, not as usual, with the passengers, but after them, with the mate, pilot, engineers, &c., and my man had dined with them as agreed upon between us; but now this liberal republican added “ That if he had known him to be my servant, he would not have sat at the table with him.” I could scarcely help laughing in his face at the aristocracy of his steam-boat captainship. However, I told him quietly, that, during my tour in the West, I had generally sat at the same table as my ser- vant, and that I would just as soon sit by him as by his illustrious self. I might, doubtless, have resisted this payment ; but I had no wish, for the sake of four or five dollars, to get into a law-suit, which might detain me two or three months in St. Louis ; so I paid the sum demanded by the captain, (who, by the by, was a smartly dressed young gentleman , much more fit to play the part of a tavern beau than master of a vessel,) and added a word of advice, that the next time he made an agreement, he had better keep to it. I have little doubt but that this sage counsel shared the usual fate of admonition, which, however self-evidently just and wise it may be, is gene- rally postponed to any agreeable temptation from within or from without; the naivete of the French girl in the song illustrates it admirably : — “ Je croirai ce que dit Maman, Je ferai ce que dit Colin.” K’ 114 SOCIETY OF ST. LOFIS. CHAPTER VIII. Society of St. Louis. — A Ball. — The Waltz. — Musical Accomplish- ments of my Hostess. — Independent Hack-driver. — Singular Charac- ter. — Leave St. Louis. — Travelling Party. — Embark in “ The Far West.” — Icy Obstructions in the River. — Visit to our Friends at the Arsenal. — Irish in America. — Mishaps. — Ignorant Pilot. — Mouth of the Ohio. — Shores of the Mississippi. — Mouth of the Arkansas. — Change of Climate. — Vicksburgh. — Big Black Creek. — Natchez. — Comfortable Assurance. — Miserable Road. — The Upper Town. — Public Buildings. — The Theatre. — The Audience. — The Perform- ance. — Drunken Indians. — Leave Natchez. — Mouth of Red River. — December Scenery and Temperature. — New Orleans. On arriving at St. Louis, which is, as I remarked be- fore, the worst town of its size in the world for lodging accommodations, I considered myself fortunate in getting a room with two beds for Mr. F and myself. By great exertion on the part of my servant, we got a table and some chairs into it, so that we could write or read in peace and quiet. I must, however, add, injustice to the landlord of the National Hotel-, that he did every thing in his power to render his uncomfortable house agreeable to his guests. During my stay in St. Louis on this oc- casion, I saw more of the society both of the town and neighbourhood than I had before seen, and I spent some very pleasant evenings in the families of the commanders, both of the garrison at Leavenworth and the arsenal ; moreover, I found my friend, Mr. Nichollet, who joins to his well-known acquirements in the higher branches of mathematical science, an exquisite taste for music, as well as a profound knowledge of it. Two French gen- tlemen in the town, who were also amateurs, opened their houses for a small musical soiree , three days in the week. One of these gentlemen played very well on the violin, and we had two professors of the piano-forte, one Italian, the other German > so that our evenings passed most agreeably. A BALL. — THE WALTZ. 115 My friend V had declared his intention of going to New Orleans, when I turned my steps northward ; but letters from Germany had altered his intention, and I was delighted to meet again my old Pawnee compa- nion. He sang German songs very well, especially those Tyrolese ugling airs, which the Rainer family rendered so popular in England ; and an occasional Scotch song was extracted from me, which was forgiven, because I was a Scotchman ! A ball was given at our hotel ; I attended it, but was told that it did not include the “ elite of the town.” There were some pretty girls, and they danced with great spirit, but jumped too much for a cotillon. The beaux capered away lustily ; and although some of them indulged in strange contortions of the body, and in move- ments both of the foot and arm, which were intended to display both activity and grace, the party was conducted with propriety and decorum, and J have seen many gayer assemblies composed of much. less happy faces. It must, however, be confessed, that it requires no small fortitude to endure the sight of the dance, which is meant to represent the waltz in provincial towns in Ame- rica. It is bad enough throughout England, except the best circles in London, and not excepting Edinburgh : but here it is even worse ; no imagination can conceive the rolling, the swinging, the strange undulations of the rotary pair; they frequently hold each other only by one hand, and the lady places her idle hand on her waist, while the gentleman flourishes his gracefully either above his own or his partner’s head, or assigns to it some rest- ing-place no less extraordinary than its movements. In some circles in the south, elbow waltzing alone is per- mitted ; the lady’s waist is forbidden ground, and the gentlemen is compelled to hold her by the points of the elbows, it having been held indecorous by these Pre- cituses ridicules , “ That Waltz, that rake from foreign lands, Should dare, in sight of all beholders, To lay his rude licentious hands Un virtuous damsels' backs and shoulders.” Moore. 116 THE WALTZ. What miserable nonsense is often talked and written on this subject ! as if amorous or improper advances cannot be made as well by a pressure of the hand, or a squeeze of the arm, as by encircling the waist, if one party dares to make, and the other is willing to receive them. It is an exact parallel to Mad. de Stael’s rebuke of some female’s observation on the indecency of ex- posing a naked statue to view in the Louvre — “ The in- decency is not in the statue, but in the remark.” I can understand a father or a brother objecting to a young girl’s waltzing, though I differ from them in opinion ; nay, I would respect a young lady, who, from a shrink- ing delicacy of character, refused to waltz at all ; but when the answer is, “ You must hold me by the el- bows,” or, “ I only waltz with married men,” — Heaven preserve us from such humbug and prudery ! During my stay in St. Louis, I went several times down to the arsenal, where the amiable manners, unaf- fected bonhommie , and musical accomplishments of the fair hostess, “ imped feathers to the wings of Time.” It was delightful, in Missouri, to hear the beautiful compo- sitions of J. Cramer, Herz, and Beethoven, played with a taste, feeling, and execution that would not have been lightly esteemed on the banks of the Thames, the Seine, or the Rhine; and my national prejudices were gratified that Mrs. S n’s mother (and teacher) had been a na- tive of Scotland. One evening I remained there with one or two friends, rather later than it suited the convenience of the hack- driver to remain ; and when we inquired for our carriage, it had been gone two hours. We were obliged to tres- pass for the night on the captain’s hospitality. It snowed very heavily for twelve hours; and on returning to St. Louis next day, we learned that our independent driver of the preceding evening had overturned his carriage, and fractured his leg in two or three places. At the little village of Carondelet, or Yuides-poches, I went to visit a strange old man, of whom I had heard frequent mention. As his name was Leichendorfer, I concluded he must be German ; but he answered me in such a strange patois of that language, that I was soon SINGULAR CHARACTER. 117 convinced of my error. Upon cross-examining him, I discovered that he was from the Italian side of the Tyrol, and that his real name was Santuario, and the rest of the conversation was carried on in that language, which he spoke with tolerable accuracy and fluency. He boasts of speaking German, French, Spanish, Turkish, Eng- lish, &c., all equally well. From the specimen I had heard of the first, I have no doubt that his claims are well founded ! He was among the sharp-shooters in the Austrian army at Marengo, and still hates Bonaparte with laudable patriotism. He was some years at Con- stantinople, then he went to Egypt, and contrived to ren- der the Pacha some services in Arabia ; after w’hich he w 7 as employed by General Eaton, to assist in his expe- dition against the Bey of Tripoli, and was instrumental in restoring his brother the ex-Bey ; for this he was made a colonel in the United States army, and lives now upon the proceeds of some land and an orchard, which he bought with the money gained by his services. He is a strangely prejudiced old man, but with a fine face, and the remains of a very athletic frame. He has had, and I believe has still, several wives in the various countries which he has inhabited, and owns to twenty-seven chil- dren. He is very busy writing his life, and preparing it for publication : if his brain is as prolific as his person, and his pen bears any proportion to his tongue, the w r orld may expect soon to see the work appear in twenty-seven volunaes. St. Louis is certainly one of the least social and hos- pitable places that I have seen in the United States; ne- vertheless, there are some exceptions to this (as to every general) proposition. I now prepared to leave the town with much regret. The frost had set in with considerable severity ; and large floating masses of ice were scattered so thickly on the bosom of the w'ater, that the navigation of the river became every day more difficult and dangerous. I was anxious to get as soon as possible to New Orleans, be- cause I had desired all my European and other letters to be sent thither to wait my arrival. I was fortunate enough to be able to collect a very 118 RETURN TO THE ARSENAL. pleasant little party, and we agreed to embark and keep together : it consisted of Captain S , a cousin and old acquaintance of mine in Scotland, who had been above two years among the Indians, in and beyond the Rocky Mountains ; my friend V — — , and a Dr. W also from Scotland, a lively and well-informed compan- ion. We took our passage on board of “ The Far West,” Captain Fox; her machinery had been newly put in, and, although several parts of it were rather loose and out of order, the boilers were strong, and the cabin-berths, &c., remarkably neat and cleanly. We embarked on the 29th of November, and were obliged to cross the river to the Illinois side, in order to take in some freight. On the following day the ice ran so heavy and thick, that the captain dared not attempt to descend the river, and with much difficulty regained the landing at St. Louis, Here we were obliged to lie two days. The committee of insurance came down and warned the captain, that, if he started while the ice was so dangerous, he must do it at his own risk ; and we be- gan to entertain serious apprehensions that the river w’ould close up, and we should be shut in for the season. However, the weather changed ; and on the afternoon of the 2d of December, we got off, and went down as far as Vuides-poches, about six miles. It was a bright moon, and a fine frosty night, so V and I determin- ed to gallop off to the arsenal, and spend one pleasant hour more with Captain 8 and his agreeable lady. The landlord of the tavern, a good-natured Irishman, lent us a couple of horses, and we set off at full speed over the snowy slippery road. As it was only four miles, we were soon at our journey’s end ; and the astonish- ment of our friends at our appearance was not small, as I they thought us half-way to New Orleans. They re- ceived us with their usual kind hospitality ; my ears got another Cramer feast, and our amiable hostess prepared a bowl of egg-nogg, which was to serve as a “ diachin dhorrish and to fortify us against the night air. Bidding them another adieu, we returned to Vuides- poches, and went on board about midnight. Our land- j lord gave me a bottle of Irish whiskey, and would not ) MISHAPS. 119 accept of a farthing either for that or for the use of his horses. How grieved I am, that the Irish people tar- nish the generous and noble qualities which they really do possess, by the violence and lawlessness of their habits ! In explanation of this well-known fact, we are always told that it is owing entirely to the oppression and misgovernment of the English. It may b q partly so, but no more. The Irish in America — in every state from Maine to Louisiana, where they are certainly not oppressed, and are free from tithes, from heavy taxes, from ecclesiastical burthens, from want, in short, from every subject of complaint and grievance in Ireland, are still the most improvident, quarrelsome, turbulent popu- lation on this continent. Nature has been liberal to Ireland in her soil and cli- mate ; she has endowed its inhabitants wilh humour, readiness both of conception and language, bravery and generosity ; but she seems to have been less liberal in providing them with judgment and a just moral sense, the absence of which qualities, impairs or perverts the above endowments. On the following day, December 3d, we met with no accident ; but were obliged to go very slowly, in conse- quence of the thick and heavy masses of ice which co- vered the river. On the 4th, however, our misfortunes began. We ran on a sand-bar at nine o’clock, a. m., but got off again in an hour; at eleven we ran aground again and stuck fast till three p. m. We grounded again soon after dusk, and floated off about nine, without hav- ing any wood on board ; and we had to drop down with the stream at considerable risk, for two or three miles, when we reached a wood-yard. 5th. — W T e soon found that the pilot either knew no- thing of his business, or that he ran us aground on pur- pose ; or else that the heavy descent of ice had al- tered the channel, and created new banks of mud or sand. We ran on a bar at nine a. m., and remained there all day. Several boats passed us : I went on board one with our captain, to request her assistance in hauling us off ; her captain, however, was deaf to entreaties, and even to liberal offers of payment. To complete our ill- 120 IGNORANT PILOT. luck, the yawl in which we had boarded this boat (“ The G. Clark,”) was knocked under her wheel and swamped, not half a minute after we had jumped out of her. She was held on by the painter ; but we lost all our oars, and two or three of the men’s jackets. We had to bail her out with buckets, and with much labour towed her, half full of water, behind “ The G. Clark’s ” yawl, back to “The Far West.” “The G. Clark” and her obliging captain then went off, leaving us in what might be called down-east, a “ particular considerable unhand- some fix.” We contrived in a few hours to rig a couple of clumsy sweeps, baled out the yawl, and kedged our anchor, with the aid of which we hauled off the bar ; and once more afloat, went down two or three miles to a wood-yard, where we lay-to for the night. We now thought that our troubles were over, as we had got through the worst of the ice ; but, on the following day (the 6th), at half past eight, we ran on a bar near a place called Devil’s Island. Here, I almost believed that the gentleman in black had possessed our pilot ; for he ran our boat right on a sand-bank, which a schoolboy might have seen and avoided, inasmuch as there was a great log of wood and a quantity of drifted ice lying upon it. We were going ten or twelve miles an hour, and the boat bounded, jumped, and made every exertion to get over, but in vain ; her plunging only lodged her the deeper, and we, draw- ing five and a half feet, lay comfortably imbedded in mud and sand, with only three feet and a half of water. We remained here several hours; it was impossible to drag her off by her anchor, and I began to fear that her fate was sealed, and that we (the passengers) must leave her by the first boat that passed. I was really grieved at this ; for our captain was a most good-natur- ed obliging man : it was his first trip since the complete refitting of his boat; and if she lay here long with her broadside exposed to the huge masses of ice that come down the river at this season, she must have gone to pieces in a few weeks. After a few hours, a small steamer, named “ The In- dian,” hove in sight : we hailed her, and she came along- MOUTH OF TriE OHIO* 121 side. Our captain agreed to give four hundred dollars if she would take some of our freight and tow us off the bar : after much time and trouble, she did so ; and as soon as we floated, she went off down the channel, ex- pecting us to follow immediately : we endeavoured to do so, but something went wrong in the machinery, and we could not make the right course : consequently we drop- ped down again upon the bank and became imbedded as fast or faster than ever. The little “ Indian,” though out of sight, soon missed us and returned ; and, in order to obtain her farther as- sistance to get us off, our poor captain was obliged to give a thousand instead of four hundred dollars. Not- withstanding the united efforts of the passengers and both crews, we lay there all the next day; but about eight o’clock on the 8th instant, having put all our freight on board “ The Indian,” which was fortunately empty, we got off and made good our passage through this difficult channel. In the course of the day we found “ The In- dian ” anchored in the middle of the river, having broken her paddles and otherwise injured her machinery : we took her in tow and brought her ashore ; for which I trust our captain obtained some diminution of the enor- mous sum which she had exacted from him. We reach- ed the mouth of the Ohio without farther accident or difficulty ; but the machinery was not in perfect order, owing to the illness of the engineer, who could not leave his bed. There are several places on the Mississippi which are already increasing rapidly in population and wealth, be- tween St. Louis and the mouth of the Ohio ; as for in- stance, Herculaneum, thirty-five miles below St. Louis* and St. Genevieve, about sixty-five. The view of the junction of these two great rivers is one of the most beautiful specimens of fresh-water scenery that ever I beheld ; so great is the extent, and so prettily is it in- dented with points and promontories covered with noble timber. After leaving the Ohio, the first town of any importance that we reached was Memphis, in Tennes- see ; but we could see nothing of it, owing to the high banks which intercept it from the river. 1 am told it is Vol. II.— L 122 CHANGE OF CLIMATE. prettily situated. The shores of the Mississippi are very monotonous for several hundred miles, presenting nothing but a constant succession of dreary cotton-wood timber, w hich at this season would look miserably gloomy, were it not somewhat relieved by the green undergrowth of cane, and an occasional log-hut and corn-field. On the evening of the flth* we passed the mouth of the Arkansas, the third tributary of the Mississippi in point of size : it rises in the Rocky Mountains, probably fifteen hundred or two thousand miles from its junction with the great river, where, by the by, it is much nar- rower than I expected to see it, as it does not appear to me more than four hundred yards broad ; but. it was nearly .dusk when I passed it, so I may be mistaken in regard to its width. 1 had never seen its w aters before, but I had been within sight of the timber on its banks during my excursion among the Pawnees. On the 12th instant, w*e began to find a very percep- tible difference, both in the climate and in the vegetation ; the chilling breath of winter had not marred the verdure, at least the mantle of nature w as not rudely lorn off from the forest, although its green w r as changed to varying au- tumnal tints of red and brownish hue. The white and red oak, which line the banks of the Upper Mississippi, had disappeared, and were replaced by the cotton-wood and other species of poplar, the sycamore, the several kinds of gum, and the cypress ; while in places where the banks had obtained greater elevation, the feathering outline of the pine towered above the rich and verdant foliage of the magnolia. Nor was the change in the plants of humble growth less discernible : the fertile al- luvium of the valley was now laden with the graceful cane, still fresh and green ; and where the hand of man had destroyed the natural produce of the soil, large fields * I heard this day a west-country phrase that was perfectly new to me. and from its quaintness seems worthy of record. The captain went ashore at a wood-yard ; and, on entering the log-hut, the house- wife, a woman about thirty-five, seemed to recognize bis features (they had once lived in the Eame neighbourhood), and she addressed him thus — “ Why, you ar’nt Wilson 1” He answered, “ No, madam ; my name i* Fox.” She replied (holding out her hand to him in the most friendly manner), u Why, Fox, consam your old skin ! is that you !” BIG BLACK CREEK. 123 oT cotton, now ripe for palling, seemed as if they were speckled with innumerable snow-flakes. Nor are the houses of the settlers less distinct in their character from those of the northern region ; for where- as the latter were chiefly composed of rough logs, those of the former are built of neat frame-work, frequently painted white, and surrounded by ten, fifteen, or twenty negro cabins, according to the size and produce of the plantation. I am not aware that I ever experienced so strange and pleasurable a sensation through mere change of place, as in this descent of the Mississippi in the month of “ dark December it is as if one had been endowed with the power, not only of arresting, but of reversing, the march of the year, and of making the soft and balmy air of summer succeed the cold and gloom of early winter — as if old age had been permitted to renew the vigour and freshness of youth, to “ Forget his years, and act again the boy ! ! * On the night of the 12th we reached Vicksburgh, and I regretted very much that I no opportunity of visiting it. It is a young town, pleasantly situated upon a gentle declivity, forming the base of the Walnut Hills, which rise above it gradually to the height of five or six hun- dred feet, forming one of the prettiest prospects in the course of the Lower Mississippi. This town possesses a neat little harbour, w’hence a quantity of cotton is shipped to New Orleans. It obtained considerable no- toriety last summer, by becoming the principal scene of the outrages committed under the name of Lynch law ; of which I gave an account in some remarks which I made at Dubuques. On dhe morning of the 13th, we came to the most beautiful scene I had beheld since we left St. Louis. The place is called Big Black Creek, or Grand Gulf. The river here makes a great bend, and runs almost in a north-easterly direction ; after which, making its way under some bold and wooded heights, it resumes its natural southerly course. Just at the corner made by this sweep, is situated a neat little village, on a gentle declivity toward the water’s edge ; on each side of it are 124 NATCHEZ. two smiling valleys, and the undulating hills by which they are formed and crowned, were covered with gum trees, pine, and magnolia. The river here hears the ap- pearance of a large inland lake, and reminded me strongly of some of the scenes in Cumberland. In the evening we reached Natchez ; the view on ap- proaching it from the north is very fine, and the bold bluffs, on which stands the upper town, were all tinged with the golden beams of a setting sun. This place has been often described ; and, as it was almost dusk before I was able to get ashore, 1 cannot pretend to add much to what is well known regarding it. There are two towns, Upper and Lower Natchez; of which the former is by far the largest and the most respectable. The lower town, containing little more than the buildings which necessarily grow up in the neighbourhood of a harbour where much shipping business is done, was con- sidered, a few years ago, as the most abandoned sink of iniquity in the whole western country. It was the re- sort of the lowest and most profligate wretches of both sexes ; and gambling, drinking, robbery, and murder, were the daily occupations of its population. But the respectable inhabitants of the upper town assembled last summer in considerable force, and, under the authority of Judge Lynch, and with threats of his summary justice (which they doubtless would have fulfilled), compelled some hundreds of the most notorious characters to leave the place at a few hours’ notice. Their memory is not yet dead, nor has the lower town, though much improved, been able yet to acquire a very respectable name. When I landed with my friend V , and inquired of a quiet-looking citizen the way to the upper town, he concluded his directions wdth an assurance that we might go up without any risk of having our throats cut ! With this encouraging information we toiled our way up the most miserable muddy road that I ever beheld, toward the top of the bluffs. Numerous drays were ascending and descending, most of which were up to or over the axle-tree, in the pure, unadulterated clay, of which the road is composed. Has it never struck the merchants of Natchez, that in one year they would save as much in THE THEATRE. 125 horse-flesh, as would pay for the expense of an excellent pavement ? But in these western cities there is no combination — no corporate feeling — the universal motto is “ every man for himself.” And it seems as if they thought that money, laid out in works of improvement, of which others might share with them the convenience or the benefit, was thrown away. The upper town of Natchez is pleasingly situated upon an elevated platform, commanding a fine view of the serpentine course of the river ; it contains several handsome buildings, and some streets well laid out. The inhabitants have had the good taste to leave many rows of trees standing, which afford an agreeable shade, and add to the freshness and cheerfulness of the town pros- pect. I saw two large hotels ; the one which I entered to take some refreshment was very clean, and seemed to be in the hands of civil obliging people. I passed a church, (I believe episcopal,) which seemed, in the doubtful light by which I viewed it, to be a neat well- proportioned specimen of the Ionic style. There is also a very good Doric facade to the Agricultural Bank. The Masonic Hall is a spacious building, but cannot pretend to any architectural beauty. Many other buildings may be deserving of notice, which I did not see, the night closed in soon after my arrival, and I had not even the advantage of moonlight. There are many handsome, well-supplied shops ; but the streets are in much the same condition, in regard to pavement, as those of the other western cities : that is to say, if you choose to walk after dark, you must depend upon the blue vault above, for “ Nature’s starry lamps,” and take your chance of spraining your ancle, in holes and broken places a foot deep, or of stepping up to your knees into a gutter, or some equally agreeable receptacle of mud. The principle, if not the only, article of trade in Natchez, is cotton ; and many of the wealthier merchants reside at villas, prettily situated on the undulating slopes by which the town is surrounded. In the course of our evening ramble, we entered the theatre, not so much as faithful disciples of Thespis, as for the purpose of observing the dress, manners, and ap- L* 126 AUDIENCE AND PERFORMANCE. pearance of the citizens and citizenesses. The theatre is of middle size, and not remarkable for elegance of decoration ; the same may be said of the stage and scenery. The orchestra was certainly very good, and the various interludes played between the acts were se- lected with more taste than is usually shown in such cases; for, instead of giving vulgar jigs and “dashing white sergeants,” or the opposite extreme of slow pieces of music, wanting both introduction and meaning, (and generally interrupted by the bell,) they played some very graceful and new German waltzes. The ladies in the boxes were neatly dressed, without any pretension or display of finery : as far as I could judge from costume, there were only three or four French women in the whole circle. The men were in the usual stocked and cloaked attire of Americans in the evening ; the pit was filled with noisy merry fellows, and the gallery was in the undisputed possession of some dozen swarthy god- desses, wearing upon their heads and persons all the several colours which nature has denied as ingredients in their complexion. The play was the “Fatal Mar- riage ; the part of Isabella by a Mrs. Clarke, a fine~ looking middle-aged woman, with a pleasant voice, though not powerful enough for tragedy ; she had a good figure, and good arms, and Iter movements were by na means ungraceful. She played her dreadful part with, considerable energy and paihos, and though one or tw r o points might have raised a sneer from some of the “ sour hyper-critics of a King’s Theatre stage-box,” I found much more in her acting to approve than to condemn. — The other characters were feebly supported, and the death of Byron w 7 as one of the most disgusting scenes of stage butchery that I ever beheld. It is indeed pos- sible, that all the writhing, contortion of body, and stif- fening of joints which w'ere displayed, may be true re- presentations- of an agonizing death ; but in scenes over which good taste and decency always throw a veil, a detailed and faithful representation becomes a trans- gression. The dresses used on the stage were correct, and even splendid. Altogether, there are few country theatres in DRUNKEN INDIANS. — LEAVE NATCHEZ. 127 England which would gain much by a comparison with that in this small town, which (it must be remembered) was, a few years ago, a wilderness. On returning towards the steam-boat, I saw with grief two or three Indians completely drunk, rolling in the gutter, and affording a butt for the jokes, gibes, and even blows of a dozen vagabond negro boys. I believe they belonged to the Chickasaw tribe. I know not why it is, but there is no human being (except a woman) that affects me with such inexpressible pity and disgust, when under the influence of liquor, as an Indian. I know this is unphilosophical, because it certainly is a greater dis- grace and debasement to a while man ; — still, I then feel my pity lost in my disgust ; while, in the case of the In- dian, (although I have lived too long among them to be- lieve any more tales of their innocence, simplicity, &c.,) mv fancy fondly clings to the delusion of that state, "When wild in woods the noble savage ran.” Thus, when I see him grovelling in the dirt, with a helpless body and a reeling brain, and uttering thick and half- choked sounds, which no ear near him can understand, I cannot help thinking we have done this ! — we, who boast of our civilization — we, who pretend to spread abroad the refinement of art and science, and the purity of the Gos- pel, among the nations — we have reduced the eagle eye, the active limb, the stalely form of our red brother, to the grovelling, swinish animal which I now see before me ! Of all the plunderers, thieves, and land-sharks on earth, there are none that I more detest, none that will hereafter have a heavier charge against them, than those settlers and traders in the West (whether British or Ame- rican) who cheat the Indians of three hundred per cent, in every bargain, by making whiskey the medium of pur- chase, knowing, as they well do, that it leads to the de- gradation, the misery, and, ere long, the extirpation of the ignorant ar.d unfortunate purchasers. Leaving Naichez at night, (with much regret that I had not time to stay there a few days,) I went on board our steamer, and we ran before morning past the mouth of Red river, one of the largest western tributaries of the- Mississippi : it rises, I believe, somewhere not far from 128 ARRIVAL AT NEW ORLEANS. Santa Fe, and some parts of the valley which it makes in its descent are very fertile. The principal town situ- ated on its banks is Natchitoches, which is two hundred miles from its embouchure. Steam-boats ply thither from New Orleans. This day, the 14th, we came into a summer country and climate. While the boat stopped to take in fuel, I went ashore, and, walking only a few hundred yards into the woods, stood still with delighted eye and ear : all was fresh and green, the canes in full bloom around me; while a few birds were chirping on the larger trees, and the merry woodpecker was knocking his sharp beak against the bark of the cotton-tree. Even while writing these notes, the door of my state-room was open, two or three flies were buzzing in it, and one mosquito paid me a visit. Before me, as we glided smoothly along, was an ever-varying scene of forest beauty, now and then reliev- ed by gentle ascents and pleasant valleys, and dotted with farm-houses and plantations. The forest was clad in all the varied habiliments of summer and autumn, while graceful willows adorned the bank, and “ bathed their leafy tresses in the stream.” It occasions a most strange sensation, this renewing of the year, this finding, in De- cember, all the warmth and verdure of the “ Gioventu del anno” and to me it was productive of pleasure of the sweetest and gentlest kind. As we approached New Orleans, the plantations and houses became more thickly crowded, and the river re- minded me very much of the Thames below London, where the shores of Kent and Essex are low and flat. Our boat had received a great addition in mirth, in the shape of eighty or a hundred boys returning from Jeffer- son College, which is about a hundred miles above New Orleans, to spend the Christmas holidays in or near that city. They were most of them Creoles, and it did me .good to hear their light and joyous laughter, after our dull and tedious voyage. We reached the southern ca- pital of the United States without further incident ar oc- currence worthy of record. APPEARANCE OF THE CITY. 129 CHAPTER IX. First Appearance of New Orleans. — Lodgings — Public Buildings. — Society. — Theatres. — Creole Bali — Creole Beauty. — Cotton-press- ing. — Motley Population. — The Battle Field. — Pont Chartrain. — Suburbs of the City. — Leave New Orleans. — Change of Climate. — A Polish Jew. — Dangerous Rocks. — The New Year. — Harbour of Havana. — Regulations on Landing. — Former and Present State of Havana. — Military Force in Cuba. — The Town of Havana. — Public Ball. — Spanish Boarding-house. — Beautiful Italian. — An Excursion. — Visit to the Governor. — Performers at the Italian Opera. — The Theatre. — The Audience. — Effectual Police System. — The Garrotte. — Execution of Culprits. — Streets of Havana. — Idlers. — Manufac- ture of Cigars. The first appearance of New Orleans is not remark- ably striking ; the surrounding country is flat and unin- teresting, and the only object which arrests the Traveller’s eye, is the forest of masts, such as may be seen in a large seaport in any country. On landing, I found great difficulty in procuring anything like comfortable lodg- ings ; however, having called upon the British consul, I contrived, through his kind assistance, to establish my- self in the same boarding-house in which he lived, where I got a clean bed, an airy room, (to myself,) a good ta- ble, and a very pleasant society, consisting of three or four Germans, one or two Creoles, and several English or Americans. The town is divided into two “ quartiers,” or sections, the French and the American ; the latter occupying its north-western, the former its south-eastern division. There are many buildings of considerable extent, and some new banks, which are handsome specimens of Gre- cian architecture ; still there is nothing worthy of pecu- liar notice or mention. In churches, it is poorer and more deficient than any city in America; and, in public buildings, it is surpassed by many towns of less extent and wealth. The society, like the town, is divided into two distinct portions, the American and the Creole, and 130 THEATRES. CREOLE BALL. they do not mingle much together ; the former, being composed mostly of persons actively and constantly en- gaged in making fortunes, have little time for gayety ; and although the younger and fairer portions of their fa- milies may amuse themselves with parties, assemblies, balls, &c., as elsewhere, 1 should judge, from what I have seen, that the gayest and merriest part of New Or- leans is to be found in the Creole society. There are three theatres, two American and one French ; all respectably decorated, although it is scarcely fair yet to judge of the new American theatre, as it is not quite finished ; but I had been told to expect a house larger than any in London, and as capacious as those of Naples and Milan : in this respect the New Orleanists deceive themselves and others very much. I know not what the comparative dimensions of the ground on which they stand may be, but, as regards the interior, it appears larger than the Haymarket, and less than either Covent Garden or Drury Lane. Madame Celeste, known by the Anglo-dumestic appellation of “ Mrs. Elliot, of Balti- more,” was drawing very full houses, and astonishing the natives with some Parisian pirouettes and pas de Zephyr e. I soon became acquainted with several polite and obliging persons of different countries, and had an oppor- tunity of observing, that the style of living at New Or- leans, though not so expensive as among the wealthier merchants of New York and Philadelphia, is very hand- some and comfortable. During my stay here I received an invitation to a Creole ball, the first of the season. The house was small, but very neatly furnished ; the music, which consisted of a harp, piano, flute, violin, and cla- rionet, was performed by amateurs, notwithstanding which it was excellent. On entering the room, and cast- ing my eyes around me, I stood in admiration at the number of pretty faces and figures, and at the correct- ness of taste displayed in the dresses of the ladies. The general character of Creole beauty is a dark, but clear and transparent complexion, black eyes fringed with long eyelashes, and finely pencilled eyebrows ; a nose neither Greek nor Roman, but delicately formed, and a CREOLE BEAUTY. — COTTON PRESSING. 131 very fine “• taille ,” although apt to run rather early too far into the “ aimable embonpoint .” In manners the Creole ladies are gay, lively, and unaffected, and altoge- ther possess as much personal attraction as has fallen to the lot, even of the fairest average of the fair creation. They all have fine dark hair, and, what is very remark- able, they all dress it nearly in the same manner : this coiffure is not a la Grecque , but of that character, and the hair is brought rather forward on the side of the cheek ; they seem to pay very great attention to this part of the toilette, and I do not remember to have seen hair more beautifully clean, fine, and gracefully disposed ; nevertheless, I must confess, that I should admire the taste of the fair Creoles more, if they arranged it with greater variety, according to the respective characters of their features. Of course, the conversation was carried on in French, and the customs of the same nation were observed during the evening: according to these, I was privileged, to ad- dress and to dance with any young lady in company, without going through the ceremonial ordeal of introduc- tion ; and it is impossible to conceive an assembly con- ducted with more agrement , and with less restraint, than this Creole coterie. I must also acknowledge, that I had seen nothing so like a ball since I left Europe : the con - tre-danses were well danced, and there was waltzing without swinging, and a galloppade without a romp. The supper was exceedingly handsome, and in one re- spect superior to most of those given at ball suppers in London : namely, the wines were of the same descrip- tion which our host would give to his friends at dinner ; whereas, in the latter city, it is but too common a prac- tice to give inferior wines on such occasions, and to poi- son the guests with Wright’s champaign, upon the plea, that it is good enough for a ball supper. On the whole, I went away much pleased with the mirth and agreeable manners of Creole society. A day or two after my arrival, I went to see the pro- cess of pressing the cotton, which is performed by the simplest steam-machinery. Some of the establishments for this purpose are very extensive, and are capable of 132 THE BATTLE FIELD. pressing from five hundred to one thousand bales per day. They receive seventy-five cents, or about 3s. 6d. per bale, the expense of which is borne by the exporting ship. It is obvious that the ship-owners can well afford this, as they are enabled to take, at least, a third more cargo than they could stow away if the bales were un- pressed. The population passing in the streets, especially on “the Levee,” and others adjoining the river, is the most amusing motley assemblage that can be exhibited by any town on earth. The prevailing language seems to be that of Babel — Spanish, Portuguese, French, Eng- lish, mixed with a few wretched remains of Choctaw, and other Indian tribes ; and all these are spoken in the loudest, broadest, and strangest dialects, especially in the markets. As it was my good fortune to visit New Orleans in winter, I heard little, and saw nothing of yellow fever ; consequently that subject, equally new and delightful, will find no place in these pages ; and the land-crabs must also submit to the mortification of remaining un- noticed by me : they will probably receive their due meed of celebrity at the hands of any traveller who pays a summer visit to New Orleans. Of course, I felt myself bound to go and see the battle- field, which is about five miles below the town. Ac- cordingly, I hired a horse of a French liveryman, and begged him to give me one with some life and spirit. He looked me carefully over (I suppose to calculate how much battering my bones would bear), and said, “ Est - ce que tu montes bien?” I told him, “tolerably well.” He forthwith put me upon a half-broken animal, which had no describable gait, save a rough, high, slow gallop. The only spirit it evinced was, in shying at every trifle in the streets — sometime turning round altogether ; and I felt heartily glad when I got out of the town, having killed no child, and only lamed one pig. The field of battle, and all around it, is completely level ; on one side of it is the Mississippi, on the other swamps and woods : so that, with a simple narration in his hand, the most peaceable citizen can understand at a VONT CHARTRAIN. 133 glance the locality, and the nature of the contest. Upon such a worn-out subject it is unnecessary now to remark anything, except, that it reflected the highest honour upon the courage of General Jackson and the few raw levies under his command, to wait steadily and face a regular and well-disciplined body of troops more nu- merous than themselves. Jn respect to the English, I have never heard but one account, namely, that, with few exceptions, they supported the murderous fire of their secure enemies, and advanced to almost certain death with a deiermined and obstinate bravery, worthy of them- selves and their country. With regard to the conduct of the commander who placed them in such a position, it has been so often and so severely commented upon by military critics, that it is quite unnecessary for one who is no soldier to cast another stone. In the neighbourhood of New Orleans, there is a very pleasant drive to the head of a long arm of the sea, called Pont Chartrain. This road is made entirely of shells, and is as hard and smooth as the best road in Bri- tain. It winds along a little creek; and as you pass along, with the water on one side, and a variety of rich luxuriant shrubs on the other, the scene may almost be called pretty. Still all around are the monotonous level and the dismal swamp ; and I sincerely hope I may never view its summer beauties. I passed three negro hunters, tramping through the mud and bushes after ra- coons. They had killed three, of which the gentleman who was driving me bought one, and carried it off in the pony-chair. The suburbs of the city present a melancholy contrast to those at New York, Baltimore, and other great Ame- rican towns. Many houses are shut up, some falling down, weeds choking the gardens, and stray pigs and mules walking at pleasure through the broken palings. At the American end there is more bustle, activity, and improvement. It is difficult to predict whether New Orleans will ever greatly extend its wealth and com- merce. It is true, that the great valley of the Missis- sippi is daily increasing its enormous produce; still the canals and railroads running eastward, will, doubtless, Vol. II.— M 134 CHANGE OF CLIMATE. become an important and secure medium of transporta- tion. 1 left New Orleans on the 29th of December, on board the brig “ Rolla,” a neat little craft of about one hundred and fifty tons. Having had the good fortune to collect a party of acquaintances, consisting of six persons, we took the whole cabin to ourselves, and had before us every prospect of a speedy and pleasant voyage. We were towed down to the Balize, near the mouth of the Mississippi, about one hundred miles below New Or- leans, where the steam-boat left us to our fate, and to the mercy of the winds. Although the scenery around these last hundred miles of the course of the Father of rivers, is low, swampy, and dismal in the extreme, I could not leave him without a sigh. I had spent so many days and weeks upon his broad noble bosom — I had rambled so long upon his swelling and forest-shaded banks — I had seen the youth, the manhood, and the ter- mination of his gigantic course — his face had been so long familiar to me — that I could not part with him with- out many interesting recollections, mingled with regret. However, it is the fate of the traveller to break all the gentle local chains that would delay him in his course; and he must get hardened to it, and bear it either with indifference, or forced resignation, according to the com- position of his character. Once more I was on the free and boundless sea ; old Ocean smiled upon me with the reflected beams of a brilliant sun, and seemed disposed to make me some amends for the rough and uncourteous manner in which he had treated me in 1834. Oh, what a change of climate from that which we had left at St. Louis and Prairie du Chien ! We now sat without a coat on the deck, and were not sorry to avail ourselves of the shade of the main or the try sail. We whiled our time listlessly away, in reading, or in drink- ing some light hockheimer, of which we had taken a small stock on board. I provided myself with a Spanish grammar, and set resolutely to work, in order that I might understand something, and be somewhat under- stood in Havana, and lay the foundation for making ac- A POLISH JEW. 135 quaintance with Garcilasso, Calderone, and the Shak- peare of the world of prose, Cervantes. We had on board an old man, whom Walter Scott must have seen before he drew his Isaac of York. He was a Polish Jew of about seventy years of age, with a beard as long, thick, and strong as a wild prairie horse’s mane ; he wore a little round cap on his head, and his person was enveloped in a black gabardine. He spoke no English, but tolerably good German ; in addition to which, and to his own Slavonic mother tongue, he jab- bered a little wretched French. When I first came on board, I saw him standing by the booby hatch, wring- ing his hands, crying and whining in all the agony of Shylock’s, “O my ducats! — O my daughter!” The sailors could not understand his grief or the cause of it, and were laughing at his strange appearance and ges- ticulations. As I heard that he was howling in German, I asked him (in that language) what was the matter ; and I shall not soon forget the ludicrously piteous expres- sions which he poured forth. The old man was leaning over a wooden trunk containing all his goods and chat- tels, of which he had accidentally dropped the key down the hatchway among the packages in the hold, and his miseries were depicted in the following pathetic strain : — “ O heavens !” said he, “ I have lost my key ! — my bread, my onions, my vinegar — my all is locked in this trunk, and I can get at nothing ; and these d — d rascals and vagabonds, the sailors, keep laughing at me.” I told him very gravely that we could easily break the trunk open ; and oh ! the grin of horror with which he re- ceived the proposition ! his beard vibrated from root to point as he told me he would rather starve ! I am hap- py to say that we found his key on the following morn- ing, and he revelled luxuriously on his bread, onions, and vinegar. He was a complete old rogue, and afforded much amusement on the voyage, especially to me, and a German friend of mine, because we could hear him, whenever he was offended, abusing the sailors in every execrative term which that rich language contains, while the tars onl) grinned the more, in total ignorance of the nature of his harangue. 136 DANGEROUS ROCKS, For two days and a half the breeze continued fair but light, and we caught sight of the distant heights on the north-west coast of Cuba. We had passed considerably to the westward of the well-known and dangerous rocks called the Tortugas, where so many hundred thousand dollars and so many brave fellows have been lost, but which are now less disastrous in consequence of the light-house which has been placed on one of them. They are, nevertheless, still perilous to a navigator un- acquainted with these seas, as the currents among and around them, are so various, so rapid, and so irresistibly strong, that the greatest care must be observed, in order to prevent being carried away by them. Our brig was too light in the water by twelve or fifteen inches ; so that, when we fell in with the easterly trade-wind, we made but feeble attempts to beat to windward. This was tiresome : however, on the 1st of January, we determin- ed to be merry, and consequently we were so ; we passed around the “ many happy returns,” according to good old custom ; and our dear absent friends were, “ in our flow- ing cups, freshly remembered.” How strange it seems, that when another year is added to the bygone portion of our brief span — when the thoughts and the deeds of another year swell the heavy catalogue of our responsibilities — when the departed year has borne with it, perhaps by the mercy of Providence, not many whom we loved, certainly many among whom we have lived and moved — in short, when Nature’s cur- few would seem to toll the knell of an important portion of life — how strange it is that we choose this very sea- son for an outpouring of gayety and mirth ! Still it is a blessed dispensation, that we are able thus to turn our eyes with hope to the new-born year — to hail its dawn — to gladden our spirits with its promises, and to dismiss from our breast any forebodings of the perils and the sorrows that lie hidden in its dark, and, alas ! too fruit- ful womb. But. to return to Cuba, or rather to the head wind which kept us from reaching it. The brig was so light that she could not beat to windward ; and had it not been for the current which set in strong toward the east, we HARBOUR OP HAVANA. 137 could have made no progress. However, after three or four days of tedious tacking, we succeeded in making the harbour of Havana. The navigation of this coast is ren- dered somewhat difficult by the extraordinary variety of opposing forces : the current runs from west to east, the trade wind blows from east to west ; and from ten at night till eight in the morning, there seems to be a pretty steady breeze off the island, which is by no means fa- vourable to a ship approaching it. The harbour is deep, extensive, and extremely well protected from every wind except a northern ; the entrance to it is very narrow, and guarded by a strong fortress and battery, called the Mo- ro, and a ship, on entering the harbour, is obliged to pass close under its rocky and threatening sides ; as you ad- vance, you are liable to be raked by two or three other batteries. Upon the whole, it appeared to me that it would be a matter of extreme difficulty for a hostile squadron to force an entrance ; and, as a Spaniard re- marked to me, “ of much greater to effect an exit.” The Havana, originally founded by Diego Velasquez, in 1515, is a walled town, protected on the land side by several fortified heights, which I may notice more par- ticularly hereafter. The impression of a stranger, on his first arrival, certainly is, that it must be a very strong place. The regulations on landing are very strict ; pass- ports must be sent into the governor, and no person can. leave the ship till his “ permit” is obtained and sent on board. I scarcely understand how a man arriving here quite unknown and without a friend, could even disem- bark himself or his goods ; as it is necessary, after the passport is sent in, for some resident in the town to apply in person for the permit, and give bail for the con- duct of the new-comer during his stay. However, no one can find fault with these apparent restrictions, as they form part of the system of discipline introduced by go- vernor Tacon, which has wrought an extraordinary change in the state of the island. A few years ago, brawls, robberies, and murders were of daily occurrence in the streets of Havana : life and properly were insecure, even in broad daylight, and after dark no peaceable citizen would dare to stir abroad ; M* 138 MILITARY FORCE, the town swarmed with gamblers and desperadoes, while bands of robbers and plunderers infested the inte- rior of the country. Immediately on his appointment, governor Tacon determined to work a total change in this state of things. He made no distinction of rank or station, but began by dismissing and imprisoning one of his principal officers for peculation ; he then drove out all the gamblers, and made a complete clearance of the ruf- fian bands in the town and country. He established a very strict system of police, civil and military ; forbade the use, or even the wearing of pistols, swordsticks, or dirks ; and every part of Havana was, at the time of my s-tay there, as safe a promenade at ten at night as St. James’ street. The military force in Cuba is greater than I could have imagined, considering the state of its mother country : indeed, I very much doubt whether the Queen could bring into the field as large a body of troops in Spain, as her powerful deputy commanded in Cuba. As far as 1 am able to collect, he had nearly twenty-five thousand regular troops and forty thousand militia.* This large military establishment is doubtless requisite : the negroes form, probably three-fifths of the population, and are a much more active, strong, muscular race of men than are now found in the coloured inhabitants of the United States. There are great and constant impor- tations from Africa, which Spain (in defiance of all pro- mises, treaties, and the several hundred thousand ster- ling, paid to her by a well-meaning but Quixotic person- age, called John Bull) still connives at.f The entrance into the town from the water is very striking : the stranger, after passing through one small street, comes upon the square called ihe Plaza de las Armas; one side of it is occupied by the governor’s * In regard to the organization of the militia, I could obtain no cer- tain information ; by the best accounts, however, although numerous, it is not trained or exercised. It consists chiefly of the “ monteros,’* literally “ huntsmen but the name is here given to all the small coun- try proprietors and farmers of Spanish blood. t By the treaty of 1817, which was to take effect in 1820, England agreed to pay to Spain 400,000/. sterling, as an indemnification for the loss arising from the abolition of the slave trade. HOUSES. 139 house, the other by the intendant’s, or the financial minis- ter. Neither of these edifices possesses any claim to ad- miration on the ground of architectural merit; but both are handsome as to size, and an appearance of age and solidity. The interior of the square is laid out as a shrubbery, protected by iron railings ; and the public walks which surround and intersect it are paved. In the centre is a marble statue of Ferdinand VII, brought, I believe, from Rome. Three times every week the mi- litary band plays in the evening in this square, and then it is the resort of most of the beauty and idleness in the city. The ladies appear in their “ volantes,”* in evening dress, and their heads unprotected by a hat or a kerchief (even on the 9th of January) ; others sit in the inner area; and the men parade around, either chatting with their fair acquaintance, or indolently smoking their Dos Ami- gos or Carbanos. The military band is tolerable good ; and under the influence of a cool evening breeze and a bright moon, produces a very pleasing effect. The streets of Havana are regular; any house or square is easily found, although the buildings are quaint and irregular in their style of architecture ; and many of them have large balconies of carved wood, which are handsome from their grotesque and massive character. Most of the large houses are built round a court, in the interior of which are galleries which afford constant shelter from the sun, and many families dine in them. * This word is, I believe, peculiar to Cuba, and is unknown in this sense in Old Spain. For the information of the uninstructed, I should explain that a volante is something like a large cabriolet (though a strict etymologist from Brighton would designate it a fly.) It is an easy kind of carriage, swung entirely before the axletree ; it has two wheels, which are extremely high and wide, and is generally drawn by one horse in shafts, which, moreover carries a negro (called a calesero), and his boots, which latter come above his knees : I have sometimes ex- pected to see the little wearer subside into them altogether. These car- riages are very safe and convenient, except for two classes — the horses which draw them and the foot-passengers.” In respect to these latter, they are considerably annoyed when two of these broad vehicles pass one another in the narrow streets, and the black postilions rattle their high wheels over the foot-pavement without scruple or mercy. In re- spect to the horses, I am completely puzzled how they contrive to draw the machine at all: they are but small animals, and are harnessed a$ least two yards farther than necessary from their ponderous load. 140 SPANISH BOARDING-HOUSE. You enter by a large archway, under which the “ volante’* is usually placed, the stable being at the back of the court. What strikes a foreigner most is, the extreme publicity here of domestic life; windows are unknown, at least the place of glass is supplied by bars, through which you can distinctly see the inmates, their occupa- tions, furniture, &c., from the street, especially after night-fall, when the rooms are lighted, and the young lady touches her piano, or wreathes her smiles for the benefit of every passenger. The style of furniture is generally showy and handsome, partaking somewhat of the character of the French meubles made a century ago. Soon after my arrival I had an opportunity of seeing a public ball at a garden called Tivoli, about a mile from the town : it is the Vauxhall of Havana, of small extent, but agreeably situated ; it was very numerously attended by the families of respectable merchants and tradesmen, but not by the aristrocracy. Everything was conducted with the greatest propriety and decorum. The dancing- floor was shaded by a roof supported by pillars, some of which were the natural trunks of trees, and lighted by very pretty chandeliers. The prevailing dance is a kind of union of the waltz and the English fcountry-dance ; extremely dull and slow — more stupid, if possible, than a French quadrille in England. The only change from this dance was to the common waltz, which was perform- ed with a deliberation suitable to the climate, as the thermometer, from the 5th to the 9th of January, averaged 75° Fahrenheit, in the shade, and the sun was intensely hot ; but all the people in the town told me it was ex- tremely cool and pleasant ! Of course l was obliged to perspire, and be silent. I confess I was much disap- pointed not to see one pretty girl, or handsome woman, in this assemblage ; although there were a few pleasing and expressive countenances. Many of the ladies dress- ed and moved with considerable grace. Being anxious to acquire the language, I left my companions, and took up my lodgings in a sort of Spanish boarding house, kept by one Don Juan Gonza- lez. Among the lodgers, already in the house, I found AN EXCURSION. 141 an English gentleman, who had been fifteen years in Spain and Cuba, and three of the Italian Opera com- pany, one of whom was a very pretty pleasing woman, with a very delightful pronunciation of her own beautiful language, and a pair of large, dark gray, expressive eyes, which had within a year subdued her present husband, and which threatened to keep me awake at least half an hour after I retired, for the first time, to my new bed- chamber. Having now begun to speak a few words of Spanish, my stock of which I was very anxious to increase, I found my brain altogether confused by the admixture of Italian spoken at breakfast arid dinner : whenever I did not know a Spanish word I spoke an Italian one, two or three other guests did the same, and the conversation was carried on in the most beautiful matrimony of these two cognate tongues that ever was heard. I wish any gram- matical purist of either country could have heard us ; it would have driven him mad : e. g. “ Segnor, haga me, v.m. il favor de dar me un poco di questo plato ! Mu- chacho, da me qualche cosa da bebere !” &c. On a succeeding evening, I availed myself of an op- portunity, presented by the politeness of an English gen- tleman resident here, to visit a very pretty garden in the neighbourhood, which used to belong to the bishop ; but has been since purchased by a nobleman, who still per- mits strangers to walk in its agreeable shades. We set off in a volante drawn by two horses ; our postilion was a most frisky negro-boy, who made the little nags go over the rough and stony roads at a surprising rate. We went out of the gales to the westward ; and leaving on our right one of the fortified heights to which I before alluded, called Castello del Principe, immediately at the back of the governor’s villa, we turned down a by-road to the bishop’s garden. Here I saw dame Nature in a dress totally new to me, and a very beautiful costume she wore. Orange trees, limes, bananas, &c., I had already seen in profusion at Fayal ; but the vast varieties of pines and cypress, the palms, the cocoa trees, the al mond, and many others, I saw for the first time. The plantain is cultivated to a great extent, and is an excellent 142 VISIT TO THE GOVERNOR. vegetable when well cooked ; there are two or three dif- ferent ways of dressing it — the decision on their com- parative merils I leave to better-qualified judges. The garden is very prettily laid out; the roses were in full bloom, as I suppose they always are in this climate ; and the soft breeze of the evening bowed the feathery and graceful branches, and leaves, of the palm and cocoa. There are several little arrangements indicative of the taste of the owner ; accordingly, we observed a small arti- ficial piece of water, an enclosure filled with tame rabbits, while a bear growled from one cage, and a bald eagle screamed from another; and while looking at this curious animal and vegetable medley, a little grinning negro-boy came, and, dropping on one knee, presented me a nose- gay, saying, with a whine of ludicrous melancholy, “Ah ! sehor, quiere usted estas rosas ? Ah ! senor, da me un medio.”* I took the bouquet, gave the little urchin his sixpence, and he went off, expressing a hope (doubtless, more sincere than disinterested) that I would revisit the garden. It was growing too late for me to be able to distinguish many of the smaller varieties of flowers ; ac- cordingly, I was obliged to defer that pleasure for another day ; and, jumping into the volante, was, in half an hour, safely deposited in the city. Soon after my arrival I was presented to the governor by the British consul. The interior of his residence cor- responds with what I have before remarked of its ex- terior ; it is large, cool, and convenient, without any pre- tensions to architectural beauty ; but I was not able, on this visit of ceremony, to see more than two or three of the apartments. The governor received me with much courtesy, and the conversation was carried on in Spanish, although he understood French perfectly well. He told me that, as I was learning the former language, I must practise it constantly, and speak nothing else. Although this arrangement confined me to the very few phrases which I knew, and rendered me almost a mute upon many topics, he did it so good-humouredly, that I went * Medio , short for medio real, is a half-real. One real is equal to a bit, in the United States, or nearly sixpence sterling. ITALIAN OPERA. 143 on boldly murdering her Catholic Majesty’s Spanish without fear or hesitation. In person the governor is below the middle size ; and his countenance, though not striking, is indicative of the calm firmness which distinguishes his character. He is courteous without formality, and his manners are digni- fied without haughtiness or reserve. As brevity is the essence of a ceremonial visit, and his time is extremely occupied, I prepared, in five minutes, to take my leave ; before I did so, he very kindly offered me a seat in his box at the opera, which was given for the first time on the same evening, and desired me to make use of it at my pleasure, during my stay. Of course I availed myself of this invitation, which was the more agreeable, as the house was extremely crowded. The company of performers, which had lately arrived from Iialy, was very numerous, and contained much vocal and instrumental talent ; among the former was a sister of the celebrated Malibran ; but owing to indispo- sition, she did not sing this evening. The opera was Romeo e Giulietta : the contralto and soprano parts w r ere very well sustained by Signoras Pantinelli and Rossi ; the rest were feeble performers. The orchestra was good, and was led by one of the best violins that I have heard since Paganini’s notes “ crept in my ears.” I am not very partial to this production of the bighly-talented young composer ; one great fault appears to me, that the first act is by far the best. The house is spacious and extremely high; the decora- tions are neat and in good taste ; but the exterior of the building is the most villainous ugly barn that ever was seen or imagined ; the pit is all divided into arm-chair seats, called here “ lunetas,” as in England “stalls;” and almost all the boxes in the first and second tiers are private. The assemblage of fair spectators w’as very respectable, both in regard to dress and beauty; a few of the first families on the island were present, but a great proportion of them were at this season on their country estates, superintending the making of sugar, &c. From those who were in town I received many and great civilities : horses and volantes were offered to me 144 PUBLIC EXECUTION. every day, and invitations to the country houses of their relations, of which I proposed ere long to avail myself. My first introduction to them I owed to the kindness of the gentlemen resident here, on the commission for carry- ing into effect the provisions of the Anglo-Spanish slave- treaty, and to that of one or two English residents. At this time the police system of the present governor had been so effectual, that robberies in the town were almost unheard of; however, one had been lately com- mitted in open day, by a negro, aided by a mulatto, and the culprits had been delected. The former was condemned to death, the latter to two hundred lashes and ten years’ labour in the galleys. The sentence was carried into execution shortly after, in the following manner : — The negro was taken to the scaffold early in the morn- ing, and placed in a kind of arm-chair, to the legs and arms of which his hands and feet were firmly bound ; a priest attended to perform the last offices of religion; and as soon as these were terminated, at a given signal, a kind of tourniquet was applied to an iron collar fasten- ed round the criminal’s neck, and in a minute he ceased lo exist. This machine is called by the Spaniards a “garrote,” (Fr. garrot), and is possessed of immense force and certainty. It appears to me one of the best con- trivances for capital punishments imaginable ; and is free from ihe sanguinary accompaniments of the axe, as well as from the possibility of protracted suffering, but too well-known in executions by hanging. After death, the body of the criminal was left till two or three in the after- noon, in terrorem , when it was claimed and buried by the monks, on whom that duty devolves. The mulatto culprit was paraded backwards on a mule through all the streets, (also in terrorem ,) and received his two hundred lashes at different intervals, so many at each appointed place. I saw him in ihe course of his progress: though a very dark man, his lips were of pale blue, from shame and fear ; and the guard which accom- panied him was followed by avast concourse of negroes, idlers, &c. I believe his punishment, and the method of inflicting it, to be extremely well calculated to pro- duce its intended effect in a population such as that of Havana. STREETS OF HAVANA. — "-IDLERS. 145 Although the style of the houses in Havana is irregu- lar, that of the streets is not so, and a stranger finds his way about the town with the greatest ease : in fact, the portion within the walls is not more, if it is so much, as that which may be called suburban. The walled town is in form nearly oval, of which the point of land pro- tected by the guns of the Moro, and other batteries, forms the northern apex, the curve of the bay and the walls forming the sides. The pavement is generally very bad, but during my stay a great number of vagabonds, and condemned blacks, &c., were employed in M‘Adam- izing many of the streets in the town. There are more idle people in Havana than I ever saw in any place of the same size : there seem to be hun- dreds of respectably dressed persons who have nothing else to do than to smoke cigars, and play at dominoes or billiards. There is a very large cafe, called the Longa, (or the Exchange,) where are half-a-dozen billiard-ta- bles, and as many for dominoes, and these seem sur- rounded by players and expectants from morning till night. Another thing strikes a British traveller’s eye as singular and amusing, namely, that most of the shops have a sign, or a norn de guerre , placed over the door, which has not the least reference to the character of the articles sold therein : for instance, he will see “ Modesty” — “Truth” — “The Fair Nymph” — “Patience,” &c., over a grog-shop ; “ The Sportsman,” the “ Indian War- rior,” &c , over a silk or riband warehouse, and many similar incongruities. I must now come to one of the most important sub- jects which Havana presents to a philosophical foreigner ; namely, the manufacture of cigars. In spite of the great increase of their consumption in England, it is surprising how little is known about them, and what errors prevail regarding them. It is generally believed that one has nothing else to do than to go to Havana, and that the best cigars can be found in every quarter : this is a great mistake, and I have no hesitation in saying, that those of the English gentry who can afford to pay a good price to the best dealers in London and Liverpool, smoke bel- ter cigars than the average of the inhabitants of this city. Vol. II.— N 346 MANUFACTURE OF CIGARS. PRICES. The reason is sufficiently obvious ; the demand is so great, that no manufacturer can keep a stock by him ; they are sold as soon as made, and are generally smoked quite green and raw, whereas, they should be made at least two or three months before ihey are used. How- ever, Ido not think that the very finest qualities go to Europe, and for the very simple reason, that they are not fashionable : they are generally dark coloured, and the public in the old world prefers a lighter coloured, smoothly rolled cigar, to the strong and highly flavoured rough looking ones, which are most held in estimation among the Havanese. Indeed, some of the best which I ever tasted in my life, were given me by an English gentle- man, who had sent them to a friend in Liverpool, and they were returned, as being too coarse and ugly ! The voyage twice across the Atlantic had ripened them, and they were the most perfect vade-mecum imaginable for the meditative philosopher. The greatest manufacturers are Cabanos, Hernandez, (known to the smoking world under the nom de guerre of Dos Amigos,) Silva, and Rencureuil, who exports chiefly to Holland and France : but besides these, there are hundreds of manufacturers who make from ten to one thousand per day. The cigar is composed of two dis- tinct parts, called here the “ tripas,” or “ inside,” and the “ capa,” or “cover;” for these, tw r o different kinds of leaves are used, of which the latter is generally finer in texture, as well as more pliant. Those leaves which are to be made upon Tuesday,* are damped on Monday evening, and allowed to remain so all night, and when rolled, they are placed on a large table, where they are divided into the various qualities of first, second, third, &c., and priced accordingly. Those which are most carefully and beautifully rolled are called “regalias,” and are sold at twenty-two, twenty-three, or twenty-six dol- lars a thousand, while the second best, which are of the very same tobacco, and made by the same man, (only with a little less attention to symmetry of form,) are sold at fourteen dollars ; others again at twelve dollars, and some as low as six dollars ; these last do not find their way to England, as the duty would amount to more than the TOUR IN THE COUNTRY. 147 prime cost. D. Hernandez (Dos Amigos) employs about fifty men in his manufactory. Of the best common ci- gars a good workman can make a thousand in a day ; of the regalias, six hundred ; so that the daily issues from this immense fabrica are about thirty thousand cigars, which, at fourteen dollars per thousand, would give nearly £100 a day. They pay an export duty of half a dollar per thousand, and an import in England of nine shillings. Allowing for freight and insurance, twenty per cent, profit to the importer, and twenty more to the re- tailer, the best Havana cigars should be sold in London at £5 per thousand, which is 1 8 s. per lb., or about 1 1-4 d. a-piece, instead of which they are generally charged 305. to 405., and sometimes 605. per lb., and from 3 d. to Qd. a-piece. The best tobacco in the island is grown in the Vuelta Abaja, or lower district, to the west of Havana, between that capital and Puerto del Principe. CHAPTER X. Tour in the Country. — Our Cortege. — The Road. — Aspect of the Coun- try. — Changes of Soil. — Equipment of Equestrian Farmers. — Singu- lar Mode of Travelling. — Arrival at our Journey’s End. — Don Dio- nysio Mantilla’s House and Sugar Plantation. — Preparation of Su- gar. — Distillation of Brandy from Molasses. — Village of Marielli. — Fine Prospect. — Friendly Reception. — Aquatic Excursion. — District of St. Marc’s. — Mr. C ’s Plantation. — His Hospitality — Coffee Plantation. — Tenure of Property in Cuba. — Return to Havana. — Another Excursion, — Family of Montalvo. — Strange Inconsistencies. — A Cuban Dinner. — The Dessert. — Rambles in the Neighbourhood of San Ignacio. — Journey to Matanzas. — A pretty Village. — Speci- mens of Spanish Beauty. — Rustic Ball. — Arrival at Matanzas. — My Host. — Cure for Fever. On the 19lh of January, I availed myself of an oppor- tunity offered by the politeness of some of my Havana friends, to make a short tour in the country to see some coffee and sugar plantations. I started at five in the morning, accompanied by a Spanish gentleman, who had many acquaintances in the district which I proposed ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY. 148 to visit. Our cortege is worthy of record : it consisted of avolante, to which three mules were attached, one in the shafts, and two outriggers, on the left one of which sat our calesero, a negro of considerable size, but so strangely dressed that he seemed all boots and hat. My servant rode behind the carriage on a gray rosinante, and a negro perched on two huge packages placed across a mule brought up the rear, and acted there the some- what incongruous part of guide. Our place of destination (which lay to the west of Havana), was a plantation near St. Marc’s, belonging to a gentleman named Don Dionysio Mantilla, who, ac- cording to the very liberal customs of Cuban hospitality, furnished the guide, the volante, and the mules or horses requisite for bringing us to his house. The road for the first two leagues was tolerably good ; about that distance from Havana we passed the reservoir, which, through the medium of an aqueduct, supplies that city with wa- ter. We also passed the line of a railroad, leading to- ward the interior ; for the consiruction of which the labour is chiefly furnished by four or five hundred Irish, then lately arrived ; and the iron was imported, not from Britain, but from the United Slates. I soon began to experience a practical verification of the accounts which 1 had received of the roads through the island ; but I was obliged to be much consoled by the assurance that I was passing over them at the very best season of the year, and that few were as good as the one over which I was then bumping. Under these circumstances, of course, I viewed with proper indif- ference the stones of half-a-yard high, and the ruts of halfa-yard deep, through which the mules and the wheels were scrambling, and which afforded the best illustration possible of the old proverb of “ out of the frying-pan into the fire.” The country through which we passed was extremely interesting to me from its novelty, especially as I remem- bered that it was now the very depth of winter. Fields of maize and plantain were stretched all around, inter- spersed with palms, cocoa, mango, guayava, and a hun- dred other varieties of trees, most of them fructiferous ; EQUESTRIAN FARMERS. 149 tlie hedges were speckled with flowers of the most bril- liant hues, and even the palings which fenced the fields contributed to the beauty of the scene, as they were mostly made of living poles, bound together by thongs of bark, and placed very near each other: these are made of a wood called “ almasigo,”* and whenever it is cut and thrust into the earth it takes root and sprouts* forming thus a verdant fence, through which neither a Scotch schoolboy nor an Irish-educated cow could gain admittance to the fruits which it guarded. The changes of soil were also strikingly numerous. On first leaving Havana, it was light both in quality and colour; after passing the reservoir, it became more and more red, till at last it was like a field of dark brick- dust; then again, on the hills, it was silicions, and soon after the stratification of lime under the form of coral became evident. We passed a great many huge unwieldy* wagons* drawn each by three yoke of oxen, and about a dozen farmers mounted on the indefatigable little horses pe- culiar to the island : the riders were armed with a pair of pistols in holsters, a long sword, an enormous pair of spurs, and a formidable whip made of twisted leather and heavily butted with silver ; moreover, they sat upon a sort of cushion-saddle, from which depended two large canvass-bags, full of I know not what, and from each of these again, about a score of miserable fowls were hung by the legs, cackling their death-song, on the road to market !* At a tavern five leagues from the city, we found a relay of mules, also provided by our host ; and having with some difficulty persuaded them to start, we recommenced our journey. I had here to make a re- mark similar to that which had occurred to me once or - twice in America, and which, however strange it may sound, is indubitably tiue in many parts of both coun- tries ; namely, that the farther you can get from the road * The hedges are sometimes of almasigo, which is a red-looking wood, but they are more commonly made of pirion, which rather re- sembles a young poplar than a willow, and is the tree to which I al- lude above. * The farmers here described are the Monteros, before alluded to. N* 150 MODE OF TRAVELLING. in travelling, the better for you. I believe it is a local law in Cuba, that a proprietor must either keep the pub- lic road running by or through his plantation in passable order (English, not French, passable), or he must allow the traveller to find the best of his way through his fields. The latter plan is almost invariably preferred; so that when you find in the road an obstacle too deep, or too high to be surmounted (which is of very frequent occur- rence), you desire your calesero to dismount and to take his observations ; having done which, he begins delibe- rately to pull down a wall, and as soon as he has effect- ed a breach large enough to admit his muly trio and the volante, he drives coolly into the field, pursues his jour- ney, and of course pulls down all the fences that obstruct his subsequent progress. It is natural to suppose that these proceedings sometimes lead to an exchange of in- civilities between the wayfaring man and the owner ; but the latter does not put a rifle to his shoulder and shoot the former, as he most probably would do under similar circumstances in the western states of America. If the Cuban farmers had the wit or the industry to add to their fence a small ditch, either the roads in the island must be improved, or the inhabitants must give up travelling otherwise than on horseback. After a pleasant peristaltic drive of three or four hours, we reached Don Dionysio Mantilla’s plantation. The house was a neat square building, in the cottage style, and on the front, and at one side was a small garden-plot of flowers, wearing in this delightful winter the holiday costume of an European summer. The comforts and decorations of the interior, bore witness to the advantage derived by our host from European travel. Opposite to the front of the house, and at a little distance from it, was an extensive range of buildings, containing all the apparatus required in the various processes of sugar making, and now echoing to the cries and shouts with which the negro men and boys accompany and cheer their labour. In the course of the day I went all over the establish- ment ; and although the subject is probably familiar to* many readers, I will give a short and simple description PREPARATION OF SUGAR. 151 of it, because the plantation from which I took it is more than usually neat and compendious in its arrangement. Under an immense shed, around which are piled large heaps of sugar-cane, are two mills, each turned by six pair of oxen (the black urchins who sit upon the arms of the machine to drive them, keeping up an endless cla- mour.) This portion of the operation is frequently, and more advantageously performed by steam. By each of these mills three large cylinders or rollers are made to revolve, a very small space being left between them ; two or three negroes supply them constantly with cane, which they instantly crush and express all the juice, while other men or boys remove the torn and broken re- mains of the cane. From these rollers two pipes con- duct the saccharine liquid into large receiving vats, where it undergoes several processes of boiling; during which the scum and refuse rising to the top is removed by ne- groes armed with large flat ladles. When sufficiently purified by this process, it is filtered through bags of woollen texture,* and afterwards placed in large vases formed like a flower-pot, where it is mixed with a pecu- liar kind of clay, which contains, among other ingredi- ents, some lime. These vases are placed in holes ar- ranged in great numbers along the floor of a kind of barn, below which a number of inclined pipes conduct the mo- lasses which drop through the pierced bottoms of the vases into other large vats ; when the molasses are thus drawn off the vases are reversed, and the sugar is sepa- rated from the clay ; the brown sugar-loaf which remains is now divided into its respective qualities ; the best is that which formed the base of the cone, and it gra- dually deteriorates toward the apex. The sugar is then spread for several days to dry in the sun ; after which it is packed in boxes, containing each eighteen arrobes, or about four hundred weight, and is ready for exportation. In the mean time the molasses are either submitted to another process, for sale in that condition, or are carried on to the distillery, where they * Filtering is not usually performed on the “ ingenios,” or sugar plantations, in Cuba. 152 DISTILLATION OF BRANDY. are soon reduced to brandy, at the option of the manu- facturer. In the course of all these operations nothing is lost or wasted ; the dregs, &c., are used to fatten or feed the pigs and cattle ; and the bruised rind of the cane, when withdrawn from the rollers, is placed under an enormous shed, where it is allowed to dry, and becomes admirable fuel for supplying the furnaces for the boilers and distillation. The brandy made from the sugar is by no means bad ; indeed, I tasted some from the vats of my host which was much better than the average “ real French brandy,” sold in the taverns in England or the United States. In order to distil brandy from molasses, the custom is here to mix the ingredients in the following propor- tions : — Guarapo (or unrefined syrup), eight; molasses, three ; water, three. A little lime is of course added to these, under the process of fermentation. The ave- rage price of the aguardiente, or sugar brandy, is twen- ty-five dollars a pipe ( i . e. the price given to the manu- facturer by the merchants); the pipe contains about one hundred and twenty-five gallons, which would give a rough average of one shilling sterling per gallon for this spirit, which is very pure and strong. If the price remained for any length of time at the same height as duiing my visit, the sugar planters must accumulate immense for- tunes ; some of them were making annually four thou- sand boxes, of which the profits, after deducting one- third for expenses, were calculated this year at upwards of sixty thousand dollars. One or two on the island make annually from seven to ten thousand boxes. On January 20th, sugar was selling at twelve reals the brown, and sixteen reals the white, per arrobe (twenty- five pounds) ; a box contains about seventeen arrobes. Be it remembered, that, whatever may be the price of sugar, it is the custom in the Havana market to keep the white at four reals per arrobe above the brown. After spending a day with my host, I went, accom- panied by him and his lady, to pay a visit to his brother at a village called Marielli. The day was beautiful, and the continued variety of the soil, and of its productions, made me indifferent to the jolting and shaking which I FINE PROSPECT. 153 received on the road. At length, we reached the top of a high hill which commands the said village of Marielli. I have scarcely ever seen a more glorious prospect than that which I here enjoyed. All around me, in the fore- ground, were the royal palms, cocoas, guayavas, and hundreds of other trees, some bearing fruit, and others clustered with flowers, even in January.* Below me was the noble bay, wider and longer than that of Havana, and rendered more beautiful by the gentle curve wiih which it sweeps round the wooded and fertile promonto- ries forming its seaward opening. Four or five schoo- ners, and a few smaller and more picturesque vessels were lazily slumbering on its tranquil bosom, while its inland margin was enlivened by the passing and repassing of many teams of oxen carrying boxes of sugar, &c., down to the quay. The little town itself is neat and cleanly ; and, from the distance at which I viewed it, the open balconies and scattered palms gave it quite an Oriental appearance. Behind it to the westward and southward, the hills rose with a gentle slope, interspersed here and there with fields of maize or sugar ; while the distant back- ground was filled up with a wild and rugged mountain outline, without which, according to my opinion (or rather prejudice), no landscape prospect can be perfect. After contemplating this scene for sometime, we de- scended the hill, and soon found ourselves in the house of my late host’s brother. We were heartily welcomed by our new host, who resembled very much, both in plain hearty manner, as well as in personal embonpoint, an English country gentleman. 1 was introduced to his wife, a very pretty little woman, apparently about thirty, but even for that age remarkable in Cuba for her clear complexion, fine teeth, and general youthful ap- pearance : my astonishment was extreme on learning that she had been the mother of fifteen or seventeen children ; of these only five were living, but (judging from her appearance) I thought it not improbable that she might have fifteen more. * It would appear from the text, that the climate of Cuba is very similar to that of Corfu, as described by the most eloquent and graphic writer of old. ( Vid,e Horn. Odyssey, tj. 115.) 154 AQUATIC EXCURSION. After dinner, and just at the close of the day, we went down to the water-side, and, with a considerable party, both of males and females, jumped into a boat and push- ed off into the beautiful bay. We had dismissed the negro crew, and amateur rowing was the consequence ; this may not have increased our speed, but it certainly tended much to our comfort. Sitting on a bench close to a negro rowing, would poison the most spicy breeze that could be wafted from the shores of Araby, and would disturb the sweetest moonlight reverie into which a lover could fall. But I must not forget to boast that my rowing excited much admiration : I could both feather my oar and bend my back, neither of which performances was comprehensible to my amateur companions, although one or two of them nearly broke both oar and back in en- deavouring to achieve them. The moon was bright, the scene lovely, the party very gay, and though my thoughts did wander a little now and then from them, they strayed to subjects and to scenes sweeter and dearer to my con- templation than even the beautiful bay, through which our little bark now made its rippling way. On the following morning I went out before breakfast to see a pottery, which was extensive, and apparently well managed. There was little amusing or worthy of record, excepting a certain simple forcing-pump lately arrived from England : it was found that the roof of a small temporary shed impeded the movement of the le- ver, and two Spaniards, and half-a-dozen negroes, weru employed in taking it down. This operation, which would have cost two English labourers three minutes, occupied an hour, at the end of which, the roof of the little shed, instead of being taken off whole, to be re- placed at pleasure, was broken into a dozen pieces. It it is probable, judging by analogy, that this roof had cost the same number of persons two day’s labour in its con- struction. From Marielli, we proceeded in a southerly direction to the district called St. Marc’s. Our road led us for some miles over a rough and broken country ; we passed a few sugar estates, but the scenery in general possessed little interest or variety. After travelling about twelve MR. C *S PLANTATION. 155 or fifteen miles, we came to a high elevated plain of ex- tremely red soil, and my companion informed me, that we were now entering the district of St. Marc’s. Our vo- lante went smoothly along for many miles through the most beautiful garden that ever 1 beheld : the term may appear strange ; but it is indeed true, that the whole dis- trict alluded to is one continuous garden. The sides of the road were lined with noble palms, and the hedges were of neatly trimmed lemon ; every quarter of an hour we passed some large, double iron gate, which formed the entrance to a plantation, called here a “ cafetal,”* and the eye was constantly reposing on a variety of luxuriant verdure, enlivened even at this season by many fruits and flowers. At length we came to the plantation of Mr. C , the gentleman at whose house we proposed to spend a day. We found the family at dinner; and after the usual form of introducing me had been gone through, we were in- vited to sit down at the table. There was neither cere- mony nor ostentation, but much politeness and hospita- lity. Our venerable host was one of the most extraordi- nary instances of a gay and healthy old age that I ever saw. The exact number of his years was not ascertain- ed, but they were known to exceed eighty-six. He rises in the morning at four or five, goes all round his estates on foot, eats a hearty breakfast, and spends the greater part of the day among his trees, fruits, &c. 1 believe he is of French origin, and was a resident in St. Domingo till the revolution in that island, since which he has been in Cuba. His conversation is lively, and is the most amusing mixture possible of French and Spanish. As far as I could discover, his prejudices do not lean to ei- ther language, and in every sentence he uses nearly an equal number of words belonging to each. The rest of the party consisted of his son and daughter-in-law, a very pretty pleasing woman, with two or three beautiful chil- dren. * The Cuban estates, or country-seats, are variously denominated, according to the produce raised upon them : thus, a sugar estate is called an “ ingenio a coffee plantition, “cafetal;” a farm for the cultivation of yucca, maize, corn, t'v.c., “ estaneia,” or “ sitio a park for breeding and rearing cattle and horses, “ potrero.” 156 Coffee plantation. After dinner we drove out to see a “ cafetal,” called Ponton, which is one of the finest in the island. A short description of it will serve to illustrate the general dispo- sition of these garden estates. Indeed, one or two par- ticulars which I shall introduce do not occur in this plan- tation, but as they are usual in the district, I shall include them, as the object is to give an idea of the general cha- racter of a plantation in St. Marc’s. You enter by a mag- nificent avenue of palms, from fifty to a hundred yards wide, on each side of which are two narrower parallel avenues, like those ot the long walk at Windsor. Through the intervals of these palms you see a boundless range of verdure : below are the coffee plants, not very unlike the Portugal laurel in Britain, only more regular in form, as well as more delicate in appearance ; above this, the huge leaves of the plantain spread their shade, and wave their feathery tops in protection of the more precious shrub from the rays of the sun : numberless trees of va- rious kinds, mostly fructiferous, are scattered in every direction ; and the eye experiences nothing like lassitude. The avenues beforementioned vary much in length, some being half a mile, others as much as two miles. On arriving at the house, which is generally a low comfortable building in the cottage style, you see before it, and divided by a lawn, a large range of buildings for the reception and stowage of the coffee, for the husking it, and several large areas of hard-baked clay, surrounded by low walls, where it is dried in the sun. A little from this there is generally a square or an oblong space, round which the negro huts are built : these have their doors and windows opening on the inside, and the square is fastened at night by a high iron grate. In addition to these securities, there are generally one or tw r o watch- men, and some large dogs which are only loosed at night, and which would pull down any negro whom they could come at. However, in spite of these precautions, many have escaped to the mountains, where they live in bands, in accessible fastnesses and jungles, existing miserably upon wild fruits, and upon the scanty gleanings of rob- bery or hunting that may now and then fall in their way. COFFEE PLANTATION. 157 To proceed with our plantation. Around the house is generally a parterre of flowers ; in that of Ponton there is a very neatly finished little labyrinth of lemon, in the centre of which is a marble statue, which, as I could not make out what deity it was intended to represent, is pro- bably the goddess of puzzles. Many of these must be extremely beautiful in spring, for, even at this ungenial season, there were a great variety of sweet odours and colours. On the opposite side of the house from the above-de- scribed entrance, is another avenue leading in the con- trary direction, composed of mango trees, which form an impenetrable shade ; and from the wings of the house, at right angles to these approaches, are two other ave- nues of almond, lemon, and orange trees, all bending un- der their load of fruit. You drive on through these ave- nues till you come to the extremity of the garden, which is at the extremity of the estate, and you enter another similarly beautiful. Nothing but water and mountains are wanted to make it an Eden. Most of these estates have pretty names, as it appears to have been a graceful and usual compliment among the Spanish nobility and gentry, when they married, to call the estate after the Christian name of the bride ; e. g . in the neighbourhood of my present tour were several, with “ La Matilda,” (the property of the Marquis of Ar- cos,) “ La Catalina,” — “ La Seraphina,” &c., written in iron or gilt letters on the entrance. This district of the island will soon be even more beautiful than it is now ; for it has been lately discovered that the coffee can scarcely be too much shaded, and I passed through one plantation where it was reared under the natural timber: thus, the whole estate was a continued wood of every variety of fruit and forest tree. Among these were scat- tered a great many plantains, and below all a conti- nuous dark green sea of coffee. In the spring and sum- mer, when this last is in flower, I defy the most aromatic imagination to conceive the effect. The tenure of property in Cuba is not very dissimilar to that in England. Most of the estates in the best fa- milies are *' vinculados,” or entailed. This entail is even Vol. II.— O 158 TENURE Of* PROPERS’!?. more strict than that of Scotland ; it can be broken by no family arrangement, nor by any court of law, but only by decree of the king of Spain. Besides the tenure of actual property, there are also some rights of seignory, which arose in the following manner : The king form- erly made grants of land in this island ; these were al- ways measured by the radius of a circle of certain di- mensions, drawn from a certain spot mentioned as cen- tre. These estates so granted were usually of one or two leagues radius, or, of course, two or four leagues in diameter. The former are called “ corrales,” and the latter “ haciendas.”* The grantees, either from living in Spain, or from other causes, being unable to cultivate their large tracts of land, divided them into smaller lots and re-granted them; at \Ahich time they were valued, and upon this valuation the original grantees received a per centage, which, as established by law, must be not less than five and not more than six per cent, per annum. As long as these fines are duly paid, all the right or interest of the original grantees in the land ceases ; but upon non-payment they may bring a suit of ejectment, (a “ pleyto de lanzamiento,”) and re-enter upon them.t It may be easily imagined, that, with the carelessness with which royal grants of colonial land are usually made, and the imperfect state of maps and surveys in the island, these circular grants frequently intersected each other, and two grantees of a hacienda found themselves, with the centres of their respective domains, only one league instead of two apart. These cases have afforded an am- ple field of employment for the lawyers ; a race of wor- thies, who, if I am rightly informed, yield to none of their brother land-sharks in any part of the world in pet- tifogging, and every branch of licensed roguery. The centres of these circles are called the “ asiento,” or seat ; * The generic term for all these is Hacienda. t I am not quite clear as to the law on this point, as one proprietor assured me that the grantor could not re-enter, but could force a sale under warrant of the court ; and that his claims had precedence of those of all other creditors, even supposing the king or government to be among them ; of course, the purchaser becomes bound in the same terms. ANOTHER EXCURSION. 159 and in addition to those abovementioned is another es- tate called “ hato,” which is of a radius of three leagues ; but these are extremely rare. After spending a day and a half in this delightful dis- trict, we prepared to retire to Don Dionysio Mantilla’s. Accordingly, we committed ourselves to the tender mer- cies of our calesero, who unfortunately had taken brandy enough to make him insensible to the dangers and perils of ruts, stumps, stones, &c. In despite of our entrea- ties, he galloped over these most execrable roads, and we were half inclined to believe, that he had laid a vra- ger that he would break our volante, and a few of our limbs, before he returned. There was no alternative for us but to submit, or shoot him ; we preferred the former plan, and bore our shaking with Christian philosophy. Thanks to Providence, and none to the calesero, we did arrive in safety, and on the following morning returned to Havana. I there found that some of my obliging friends had completed their arrangements for taking me to see an- other part-of the island, to the south-east of the city, called here the Vuelta Arriba, in contradistinction to the Vuelta Abaja before mentioned. Accordingly, we started in two volantes, and reached before dinner the sugar es- tate of a gentleman, whose acquaintance I had made in Havana. This was a large establishment, but different in nothing from that before mentioned, excepting that the cane was pressed by a steam-engine; this last, how- ever, was not quite completed, and it was, of course, the constant theme and occupation of those interested in the “ ingenio.” Accordingly, I got very tired of the ma- chine, and agreed willingly to the proposal of one of my friends to visit a Spanish family a few leagues distant. The scenery which we passed through on this little excursion, was as different from that of St. Marc’s as the highlands are from Kent : but to my taste it was more beautiful, because it was a varied succession of wooded hills and large valleys, dotted with palms, and rich with endless fields of sugar-cane. To say anything about the roads is useless ; words worse than “ execrable ” are 160 FAMILY OF MONTALVO. not pretty to write, and even when written might convey but a feeble notion of the state of the roads in Cuba. The family of Montalvo, which I was now about to visit, is one of the first and most wealthy in the island. They received me with the same hospitality which I have universally experienced here, and I was glad to obtain so good an opportunity of observing the domestic manners and country habits of the best Criollo society. There were many ladies in the family, two or three married, but most of them young, and there was no steam-engine ; so that we had a chance of general conversation. One of the most striking features of the domestic economy of this, as of all other large establishments in Cuba, is the immense and apparently useless number of house ser- vants. I learned that between a hundred and a hundred and twenty mouths were daily fed, and yet the waiting at table was not near so convenient or so efficient as that of an English country gentleman's house with a butler and two footmen. Black boys and girls were hovering around the room, yet they never anticipated a want on the part of the guests, scarcely ever supplied it when expressed. To get some salt was often the result of five minutes’ reiterated entreaty ; and after dinner, when the coffee was served, the whole company, more than once, wailed ten minutes before they could procure either sugar or milk. These mixtures of the magnificent, and the “ mesquin,” these strange inconsistencies, are among the remarkable features of society in this Spanish island. The doors are all open ; windows, there are none ; the mastiffs, curs, and puppies, roam at pleasure through the tile-paved saloons, and when one of the young ladies sits down to play or sing at the piano-forte, half-a-dozen slovenly dressed black girls loiter near the instrument to listen, while two or three others, belong to the nursery, bring their squalling charge to disturb and drown the music. The quadruped domestics of the family are upon a similar scale to the biped establishment: e.g. I need only say that, in a small enclosure near the house, were ninety volante horses and mules, fattening upon maize and the various parts of the sugar-cane which are allotted for their use. A CUBAN DINNER. 161 The average routine of a Cuban dinner is as follows : First, a soup, either of vermicelli or vegetables, generally containing a good deal of bread ; then comes the pride of Spain, the olla, a kind of boulii, which is eaten with a mixed dish of vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, cab- bage, and a kind of pea,* which last is apt to be large, yellow, tough, and dry ; then come several dishes of hash and “ emince,”t mostly dressed with eggs, and flavoured with garlic and onions : fried plantains, yams, Irish or Guernsey potatoes, are on the table ; two large dishes of rice occupy an important place, one plain boiled, another flavoured with the gravy of two or three fowls which are boiled in it, and also seasoned with garlic. Among the favourite side-dishes, are dried beef,| grated and served up warm with a sauce ; cotelletes de mouton ; a dish of boiled and seasoned tripe, or “ pied de veaux and small croquettes of brains, which last are very good. When all these trifles have been disposed of, the at- tention of the company is called to roast guinea-fowl, roast turkey, and sometimes a dish of fish ; unless the house be close to the sea, this last is rarely presented, as it is impossible, owing to the climate, to keep it fresh many hours — of course, I need not add that, in a Catho- lic country, there are also several modes used of serving it up sailed ; then (after all these skirmishes have been disposed of) comes the tug of war, in the shape of a joint of beef at the top, and another of roast mutton at the bottom, and a large salad in the middle. The beef is generally but poor in flavour ; the mutton is excellent, although they commit the error, common to the whole western world, of killing it too young, and although they are generally obliged to eat it a few hours after it is kill- ed ; notwithstanding these disadvantages, it is sweet, tender, and well-flavoured. If the dinner is given after the real Criollo fashion, the party here breaks up and re- * Spanish “garbanzo.” t Picadillo. t Tasajo, imported from Buenos Ayres when wanted for the con- sumption of the negroes, and brought from a place called Cayo Romano, on the north-eastern part of Cuba, when intended for the use of iheir masters. 0 162 THE DESSERT. tires for a quarter of an hour to the garden, or to the shaded wooden galleries round the house ; the gentle- men light their cigars, and the ladies chat among them- selves. After this quarter of an hour’s rest, the black major- domo again summons the guests to table, when the des- sert is served, generally accompanied by a cheese from Old or New England. Here the richness and fertility of the island is fully displayed ; the number and variety of the sweetmeats is perfectly astonishing. Jt is usqjess to record the names of all these fruits, even if I knew them, because many of them are totally unknown in Britain, and untranslateable into our language.* I have tasted them all, and have found none so pleasant to my palate as the one so familiar to sweetmeat lovers in England, under the name of “ Guava ” jelly. (We have treated this word with much leniency, considering our usual habits, when we naturalize names, as we have only lopped one syllable, its proper designation being Guayava.) Other dishes there are, however, the very sight or de- scription of which might make the youthful habitants of a nursery, or the mischievous tenantry of a boarding- school, male or female, lick their lips for half an hour ; such as “ sweet cakes of maize, to be eaten with the purest extract of sugar, resembling molasses ” (called here “ miel ”); “ grated cocoa-nut bathed in lemon or cit- ron syrup,” a kind of marmalade made from a fruit called mamraei ; various preparations of “ ciruelas,” or plums preserved ; and many others which 1 am unwilling to note down, lest some unfortunate young master or miss should happen to cast his or her eye on this page, and * Some of these fruits are as follows : — Mammei , — about the size and shape of a small melon. Gnanavana — a large fruit with prickly rind (chiefly used in making ice or sherbet). Sapote — called in Jamaica, star-apple, something like a brown Beurre (commonly called in English, “ Bury ” pear). Caimito — a small fruit containing a sweet, brownish, purple pulp, and two or three stones. Papaya (Pawpaw of Jamaica) — this fruit is similar to, but ten times as large as that which goes by the same name in America. Ngranjas de China , and other varieties of oranges, as well as sweet lemons and limes. RAMBLES NEAR SAN IGNACIO* 163 “pine with vain desire” for these transatlantic sweets. The dessert being disposed of, coffee is served, gene- rally without milk, and the lords of the creation again be- take themselves to their philosophy — I mean their cigars. Such is a tolerably correct description of an average Cuban dinner-party. There is one part of the dietetic system in this island, which, although perfectly new to me, pleased me after the first few days very much : the dinner is generally about half-past two or three o’clock, and after it nothing more is eaten till bed-time, when a cup of hot “cafe au lait” is offered to those who choose it. This plan of ab- stinence during the later hours of evening is extremely conducive to health ; it renders sleep light and refresh- ing, and the sleeper wakens early in the morning with a cool head and a clear eye. How far preferable to the late dinners in England, or the heavy suppers in Ame- rica ! yet I must own that I have never, even at this cool season, known in Cuba, what it is to feel the keen healthy appetite, which has been my almost constant companion in other countries ; nor do I think that any reasonable in- ducement, except being in love (and that is not one), could prevail upon me to spend a summer there. I took some long rambles in the neighbourhood of San Ignacio, (for so is Don Juan Montalvo’s “ingenio” named), and enjoyed many scenes of beauty. All around was a little undulating world of woods, covered with every variety of foliage, and sugar-fields studded with palms; while from the summit of one commanding hill, I caught a glimpse of that magnificent ocean which has existed ever since old Time began his course, and will exist until he ends it — the theme of every poet, and the field of meditation for every son of earth who has a heart to feel or a mind to reflect. I visited, in company with my host, many of the neighbouring sugar estates, on one of which was a steam- engine ; to my great relief I found that it required neither repair nor amendment ; it performed its duty perfectly, and squeezed out as much saccharine juice, for its satis- fied lord, as could have been expressed by twenty yokes of oxen. The engine, engineer, and all the apparatus 164 JOURNEY TO MATANZAS. were English ; and the owner, who had been some years in Britain, had made a very neat and efficient dam on a small stream near his house, which supplied abundance of water. From this we visited a “ cafetal ” belonging to my hosts, where they reside a few months of every year. The house is beautifully situated on the summit of a hill, on both sides of which were extensive hanging- gardens, laid out, originally, with much taste : there were also long green sward walks, terminating in arbours and bowers of roses, even now in full flower ; but the bowers wore a deserted appearance, and the neglected roses seemed to mourn the absence of the “Catalina” or “ Conchita” who should attend and support them. After spending two or three days very pleasantly Rt San Ignacio, I resolved, although my kind hosts pressed me to stay longer, to proceed to Matanzas, a well-known seaport about seven leagues distant from their “ ingenio.” The roads were too bad for a volante ; I was accordingly furnished with a pony, and my guide, a negro boy of about sixteen years old, carried my small portmanteau on a venerable rocinante, which apparently had considerable advantage of his rider in point of age. The day was fine, and I ambled slowly along, for three very good reasons: — first, my horses could go no faster; secondly, the scenery was beautiful, and induced its natural accom- paniments of alternate musing and admiration; thirdly, I had contrived to pick up a kind of low fever, or general feeling of pain and oppression, which, although not alarm- ing, was unfavourable to rapid movements or violent ex- ertion. Having given these three excellent excuses for riding slowly, I will pursue my easy way. I was obliged to call up my guide repeatedly, for even my moderate amble seemed to distress his rocinante ; and the road made many turns, and often branched to the right or left to avoid the abrupt hills through which we were travelling. On these occasions the negro urchin generally contrived to steal a march upon me : he allowed me to choose my own road; I looked back to him from the one which I pursued, and receiving no sign in answer, concluded that all was right. When he arrived at the place where the SPANISH BEAUTIES. 165 roads forked, I saw him coolly following a different one : of course, I had to return and overtake him ; and when I endeavoured to expostulate, and explain to him that he ought to have directed me better, I received a satisfactory and voluble answer in some African language, whether Congou or Mozambique I am not learned enough to decide. At length I came to a very pretty village, about half- way of my day’s journey. The houses were neat and newly whitewashed ; just above them rose the verdant side of a w r ooded hill, and below, a little winding brook stole quietly along through its sugar-clad banks. While riding slowly down the single street, I passed a house before which stood two figures, which I shall not easily forget : they were those of two girls, one might be sixteen, the other eighteen ; they were dressed plainly in white, and a few wild flowers were mingled with their black and braided hair. I have never seen two such specimens of Spanish beauty. The younger and smaller one had an oval face with pencilled brows, eyes that looked the very soul of mirth, and a dimple on each cheek, that might have been a cradle for the Muse of l’Allegro to sleep in. Her taller companion, with hair and brows as beautifully black, had a more expressive face ; her eyes were larger and more lustrous, their lashes much longer, her nose more regularly formed, and her rich full lips were just parted enough to display their pearly treasure. Her neck and bosom were in the ful- lest proportions of youthful beauty, and it seemed a wonder how so glorious a figure could stand secure on the taper little pedestal which peeped from beneath her gown. If her companion was the goddess of mirth, she seemed the goddess of pleasure ; and though these words are often considered as very similar, if not synonymous, he who has passed the age of boyhood and still considers them so, is very much to be pitied, or, as some philoso- phers might argue, very much to be envied. The com- plexions of both were of clear and transparent olive, to which the last crimson rays of a setting sun lent a warm and glowing tint. I involuntarily reined up my horse, and looked, per- 166 RUSTIC BALL. haps, more admiringly than politely ; my tongue seemed to be under the same spell as my eyes, for 1 said in the best Spanish of which I was capable, “ Good evening, Senoritas !” and “ oh ! how lovely !” Each looked at the other, both blushed, and both laughed. I had no excuse for longer stay, so I urged forward my steed ; but I am afraid that my spell-bound eyes lingered still on the spot where ihey stood, and that I rode out of the village like a mountebank, with my head to my horse’s tail. Strange is the power, the fascination, the mystery of beauty! By- rot* is right, and his much criticised line, “ The music breathing from that face,” is sense as well as poetry. Among the many connecting links between beauty and music, not the least powerful are those of harmony and association, which belong equally to both ; and thus I found myself musing for many lazy miles, not so much over the faces and forms w 7 hich I had just left, as over those far more distant both in time and space which they suggested ; the chord was touched, and its vibrations trembled even to my heart’s core. I will pass over my musings for the next hour or two, which went on undisturbed, under the favourable influence of a bright moonshine, a lazy horse, bad roads, and beau- tiful scenery. I was awakened from my reverie by the sounds of music : these I could never pass unnoticed ; I found that they proceeded from a house by the road- side, where thirty or forty of the country people were dancing to a guitar and flageolet. Jumping off my horse, I entered the ball-room ; and have no hesitation in saying, that my entrance occasioned as great a sensation as that of the young duke at the country ball in Yorkshire. I happened to have on my head a Scottish bonnet ; the rest of my apparel was of the linen usually worn in Cuba. The dancing ceased, and I was immediately surrounded by the whole contents of the room, male and female. All spoke at once, and inquired in macada- mized English ( broken is too feeble an expression), scraps of French, and various dialects of nigger Spanish, who, and what I was, whence I came, whither w r as I go- ing, &c. I was baited by this motley circle for about ten mi- RUSTIC BALL. 167 flutes ; but as I did not get angry or vexed as they ex- pected, but puffed my cigar slowly the whole time, they insisted upon my dancing. 1 said I did not understand their dances, but that I would join them in any kind of English dance. Of course I did not expect to be taken at my word, when to my horror they led up to me a young English dame of forty, who expressed her wil- lingness to “ take the floor” with me. Accordingly, she ordered the musicians to strike up, which they did, and produced a most outlandish tune, to which it seemed to me impossible to adapt any dance, English, Scotch, or Irish, that ever I had seen. My fair partner looked at me with a confidential air of triumph, saying at the same time, “ You know that tune ?” I guessed what a storm my reply would raise ; but prompted by my love of truth, I mustered a due proportion of courage and hu- mility, and answered “ No, madam.” She elevated her nose and eyebrows, in supreme contempt, and said, “ Then you know — nothing.” I replied in the same tone as before, “ Madame, I never made any pretensions to much knowledge.” In spite of my humility, she tossed her head in disdain and left me. Having thus lost my fair ally (who, by the by, was an American and not an Englishwoman,) I was again assailed by my merry group of tormentors, among whom was a young man whose vocation it was impossible to mistake, and who pressed me very much to dance a horn- pipe, setting me the example by capering about the room himself. This youth seemed to be a little superior in rank to his companions ; he was dressed in a straight cut sporting-coat with gilt buttons : his trousers of linen, fitted so close to the leg as to show its form, which un- fortunately was none of the straightest; he had a riding- whip in his hand ; and on his head a low-crowned broad- brimmed straw hat, cocked a little on one side, betraying thereby that the wearer’s hair, though a Spaniard, was as fair as that of a Norwegian. Who does not recog- nize even this rough imperfect portrait? Olher profes- sional characters it may be sometimes difficult to dis- tinguish, but the spruce clerk in a counting-house is the same in England, Germany, America, and Cuba. 168 MY HOST. After performing several little evolutions a la Taglioni to encourage me, the dandy happened to inquire where I proposed to stay or lodge in Matanzas. When I told him “ en casa del Don S. D ,” astonishment, not un- mixed with confusion, was deeply depicted on his droll and good-humoured visage, and I soon gathered that he was a clerk in Mr. D ’s employment. He now used his influence to prevent his companions from cariying their jokes to any length that might be unpleasant to me. I was invited to take a cup of coffee, and having ac- cepted this “ cup o’ kindness,” bade the assembly fare- well, and pursued my ride to Matanzas. On arriving there 1 presented my letter, and was re- ceived by Mr. D with great politeness. I became an intimate of his comfortable house, an arrangement which was the more desirable, because the taverns or lodging-houses in the town are mean and scant in their accommodations. I found in my new host one of the most agreeable and instructive companions whom I had met on the island ; his practice as a merchant, as well as the management of several sugar and coffee estates be- longing to his family, (which is one of the wealthiest in Cuba,) rendered him perfectly familiar with all practical subjects interesting to a stranger, while I found his mind cultivated and enlarged by travel, as he had resided se- veral years in Germany, and nearly a similar period in England, America, and Mexico ; moreover, he had a very fine voice, and touched the guitar and piano-forte with much taste. With such a companion, it may be easily believed that I passed my time very pleasantly. My enjoyment, however, was much damped by the con- tinuance of the fever which I had caught in the country : I felt still weak and chilly, and a sort of aching seemed to have taken possession of all my joints. Indeed, the weather was said to be colder than had been known for many years in the island ; a strong north wind blew, and its effects were by no means diminished by the construc- tion of the houses, in which you are perpetually obliged to sit between four open doors, with your feet on a cold stone floor. Whatever was the cause, I must say that I felt the cold much more severely than ever I did in Ame- TOWN OF MATANZAS. 169 rica when the thermometer was from 15° to 20 Q below zero, though I do not believe it could have been here be- low 55°. To cure myself, I adopted a regimen for which the London faculty would have sent me to bedlam : 1 ate very little, drank a pint of London porter daily, and in a few days 1 recovered. CHAPTER XI. Town of Matanzas — Excursions on Horseback. — Fertile Valley. Day-dreams. — Cock-fight. — Lofty Mountain — Ascent to its Summit. - — Magnificent Prospect.— Forest Trees. — Trails of Runaway Ne- groes. — Different Tribes of African Slaves imported into Cuba. Congou Musical Instruments. — Negro Suicide. — Return to Havana. — Mercantile Excitement produced by a sudden Kise in the Price of Sugar. — Management of a Sugar Estate in Cuba. — The Carnival. Bull-fight — The Italian Opera. — Tertullias. — Gay Scene in the Plaza de Armas. — Commerce and Statistics. — Treaty for the Abolition of Slavery. — Dinner with the Governor. — The New Prison. — Masked Balls. — Leave Havana. — Sail for Charleston. — A Storm. — Arrival in the Harbour. — Hospitable Reception. — Letters from Home. The town of Matanzas,* which lies about sixty miles south-east of Havana, is situated at the extremity of a bay six miles long, into which fall two small rivers which supply the town with water, and one of them being navi- gable for some distance for flat-boats, is very useful as a medium for the introduction of timber, tiles, vegetables, &c. On the north and west, the town is sheltered by high hills, and on the east by a low sloping wooded emi- nence. Few buildings of any importance, public or pri- vate, are in Matanzas ; there is only one church, and ihat a small one ; in truth, sugar seems to be the god of Ma- tanzan idolatry, and a great deal of business is done, be- cause the land in its neighbourhood is more fertile than that near Havana. The sugar estates in that disirict have * There are some curious caves, one or two of very large extent near Matanzas, and it is more than probable that this town took its name from the “ carnage” or '• slaughter” of the last unfortunate remnants of the aborigines of this island, who had fled to these caves for refuge and concealment. VOL. II.— P 170 FERTILE VALLET. but a short distance to send their produce ; consequently, sugar is frequently half a real lower than in the city ; moreover, it is a better port to sail from for America, be- cause it lies sixty miles to windward of the other. Among the common shrubs in the gardens near Ma- tanzas, I found the arrow-root, the caout-chouc, or In- dian-rubber tree, various kinds of pepper, and the Palma Christi, from which the castor-oil is extracted. I made several excursions on horseback, in some of which I enjoyed several beautiful views ; one in particu- lar struck me as most remarkable. I went to the top of the high ridge, which I mentioned as rising on the north- west of Matanzas, whence I could see the town, the bay crowded with shipping, and a broad expanse of ocean, its nearer margin easily tracked for a great distance by the white line of surf, and the promontories jutting into its bosom ; while on the seaward horizon a few specks, with the sun shining brightly upon them, completed the picture ; yet was each of these specks a floating building, carrying with it a certain proportion of happiness, misery, and wealth. Thus are we all — all our schemes, our plans, our trifling misfortunes, our still more trifling plea- sures, — all are mere specks on the great ocean of Eter- nity ; and yet, viewed through the microscopic glass of self-love, how important do we seem ! But to return to my prospect. On the inland side of the high range on which I stood, was a deep , and fertile valley, loaded with palms and sugar-cane, sheltered by an amphitheatre of hills. I never saw a quieter or more inviting spot. As I rode along I allowed my fancy to create many scenes in this valley, and turn it to all her own quaint purposes : first, it was a kind of Eastern paradise, w ? ith mosques, sloping gardens, &c. ; then it was the scene of Boccaccio’s tales, and I imagined my- self and my companions in cap, plume, and slashed satin, hanging over a guitar, lazily stretched at the feet of our “ Donne leggiadre,” listening to the fate of the parrot sa- crificed at the altar of love, or some of the other legends of that immoral and exquisitely written work. This idea was soon banished to make way for one more brilliant : the valley was made for a tournament ; already it was wav- CASTLES IN THE AIR. 171 ing scarfs and feathers ; it resounded with the clang of armour and the neighing of steeds; the sloping hills around were alive with spectators; in a pavilion at the end of the valley were the lords and ladies of highest degree. The jousts begin, the lances are shivered, and an unknown knight, in black armour and bearing on his shield, without device or ornament, the simple words “ The Wanderer,” bears down all before him and is pro- claimed hero of the tournament. Under the excitement of these dreams, I put spurs to my horse ; and giving a shout, that was a sort of medley of the Norman war-cry, the fox-hunting view-halloo, and the Pawnee yell, I charged at full speed along the ridge. The road made a sudden turn, and I almost overthrew an unfortunate peasant who was coming in the opposite direction with eight or ten loaded mules. I ran against one or two of them before I could pull up my horse ; then came a thought of Don Quixote, a hearty laugh, and an apology to the paesano for disturbing his convoy. How much finer are the castles in the air built by a younger brother, than the proudest edifices raised in Lon- don or Yorkshire by the wealthiest peer or millionnaire ! Moreover, they require not the aid of any fashionable architect; they*are removable at pleasure, and can be pulled dow r n as soon as built up ; an object which some proprietors seem to have considered as the more impor- tant of the two. On the 7th of February, I went with Mr. D to make a short tour in the country. At a village, called La Moche, I went into a tavern for a few minutes to see a cock-fight. It is well known that this is a favourite amusement both in Cuba and Mexico. Indeed, since the governor of this island has broken up “ monti,” and other kinds of public gambling, the Cubans have re- served all their betting energies for the cockpit : they frequently wager one thousand dollars a-side on a single cock, besides the by-bets which may be made. I am told that the cocks here are very good, and remarkably well trained. The best breed come from England, and go by the name of Lord Derby’s breed ; of these every planter boasts of the possession of one or two ; the ori- 172 COCK-FIGHT. ginal importations do not succeed in their combats, pro- bably owing to their not thriving in this climate. Jn regard to the cock-fight itself, I need only say that it was the first I ever saw, and I sincerely hope it may be the last. I could take no interest in it, neither could I observe any skill in the combatants. I have seen many a quarrel between two black cocks in Scot- land over a few grains of corn, which was much better worth seeing, in respect to the size, strength and beauty of the feathered heroes. A few leagues from Matanzas is a mountain, well known to all mariners who approach the island from the north, under the name of “ Pan de Matanzas ” (from its supposed resemblance to a loaf.) It is a good landmark from the sea, and is not to be mistaken, on account of its height and peculiar form. This mountain is covered with wood to the very summit, and affords a retreat to considerable numbers of “cimarrones,” or runaway ne- groes. Except these worthies, I understand that few of the inhabitants of the island had ever been on the top of it. Thinking that it must command a splendid prospect, we determined upon ascending it ; and accordingly we took with us a couple of negroes, two Spaniards, one an employe in a sugar estate, the other a cattle-dealer, who often amused or employed himself in hunting “ cimar- rones, ” for each of whom, when taken, he received four or five dollars. As these fellows are numerous, and live only by robbing, it was not considered prudent to go al- together unprepared ; so they took two or three swords, and I had with me a brace of small pocket-pistols. The principal difficulty we had to encounter was the brushwood, which was so thick in some places that we were obliged to cut a path through it with the swords. When we got about half-way to the summit, we found some very precipitous rocks, and were obliged to scram- ble on hands and knees, and to follow many windings to get above them. At this elevation the whole stratum on which we walked, was broken stone in large loose masses. It was difficult to conceive how the various beautiful trees and plants which surrounded us could find root in such a bed of stones ; and an active imagi- FOREST TREES. 173 nation might have found a parallel in the virtues and good actions which will sometimes break out in the most har- dened and ungenial natures. All the stones and rocks around seemed of the same coral or lime formation, and among them were many sweet little miniature valleys, of thirty or fifty yards in length, carpeted with rich herbage, shaded with various trees, and protected from the rays of the sun, and from the rude breath of the winds, by the precipices which overhung and surrounded them. In these we saw many recent marks of the “ cimarrones and I could not deny that they had shown some taste in the selection of their abode. What would I not have given for such a bedroom, on many occasions, during my ramble among the unsheltered barrens of the western desert ! After about an hour’s walking and clambering we reached the top, without difficulty or fatigue. As usual, I found that the height, steepness, and other obstacles had been greatly exaggerated, and I have frequently crossed two or three mountains higher than this, in the course of a day’s deer-shooting in the highlands. How- ever, it must be confessed that the lungs, the sinews, and all the corporal functions are much more feeble and relaxed in this climate, and a Scotchman not acclimated, will find that a walk of ten miles in Cuba is about equal to, and much more rare in occurrence, than one of thirty miles at home. In order to get a clear view from the summit, we were obliged to climb a tree, and to cut all the leaves and branches which hid the landscape from us. It was, then, indeed, a magnificent prospect ! On one side, a waving sea of sugar-canes and palms; on the other, the oceaq, indented with numerous bays and promentories ; not the least interesting object being the town of Matanzas, with its shipping, and the two winding rivers which fall into the harbour. I look the opportunity of my ramble to the top of tjie “Pan de Matanzas,” to cut some sticks from the most curious and durable kinds of trees. I numbered thetn as follows : — P 174 FOREST TREES. 1. “ Caimito,” or “ Caimitillo.* 7 2. “Yaya” — an elastic wood, sometimes used as a negro-whip. 3. “ Dagalbi” — often used for making wheel-carts. 4. “ Malaju” — a very hard wood ; a kind of gum is distilled from it, which is extremely healing in cases of cuts or wounds ; it is also used as a preventive against spasms, lock-jaw, &c. On the same day I also brought in a coffee-stick, and one of a singular wood called “ Yaiquage.” It has this peculiarity, that when first cut, and the rind peeled off, it is quite white, and after being exposed to the air a few hours it becomes of a rich mahogany colour. It is use- less, except in pursuance of a scientific object (to which task I am not competent), to attempt an enumeration of the forest trees of this large and fertile island ; their va- riety seems endless ; but I will mention a few of the names of those most esteemed. 1. “ Quiebra-hache” — literally, “break-axe Anglice , Iron-wood. 2. “ Yava”— a hard wood, with narrow leaves. 3. “ Jocuma” — of the same character. 4. “Frijolillo” — do. 5. “ Chicharon.” 6. “ Came di Donzella” — very hard wood. 7. “ Cuajalf.” 8. “ Roble” — this word ought to designate an oak , but I have seen the tree, and it seems to me to be a kind of Ilex. 9. “ Caopa” — Anglice, mahogany. 10. “ Cedro” — of this kind of cedar most of the doors and roofs of the best houses are built. 11. “ Majagua” — Anglice, lance-wood. The above are all hard woods, and those most com- monly used by carpenters and joiners. Among the trees most admired for the beauty of their flowers and blos- soms, are — 12. “ Ceiba,” (Bombax ceiba.) 13. “ Jobo,” (Spondias myro-balanus.) 14. “ Caimito,” (Acropia pellata,) mentioned before, &c. NEGRO TRIBES. 175 With the exception of Nos. 8, 9, 10, I am not aware that any of the above names are familiar to old Spain. In our descent we found many recent tracks of the “ cimarrones,” who had been doubtless disturbed and alarmed by our voices, and by the noise which we made in forcing our way through the brushwood. Of course, it was much more easy to trace them than it was dur- ing the ascent, because a man in running down a hill selects the softest place for his footing; whereas, in climbing it, he puts his foot upon the projections of rocks, stones, and the hardest spots that he can find. I was astonished at the quickness and skill with which our negro attendants followed the trail of their country- men ; it reminded me of my Indian companions in the West, and surprised me the more, from their dulness and stupidity in every other operation of mind or body. It is very natural that they should be eager to re-capture their runaway brethren, because these vagabonds live chiefly by stealing their pigs, fowls, and whatever other fruits of their industry may reward the employment of their leisure hours. It may not be uninteresting to some of my readers if I make a short digression, to give some account of the different tribes of African slaves imported into Cuba. They may be classed as follows : — 1st. The Congou negroes from the neighbourhood of the Gold coast. Of these there are several tribes known among the slave dealers ; e. g. the Congou-reales, Con- gou loaldo, Congou-mondongo, &c. Their general cha- racter is lazy, mischievous, and apt to run away; but lively in their amusements, as music, dancing, &c. ; very much given to lying, thieving, and all roguery. 2d. Lucumi — also from the west coast of Africa ; very proud and haughty ; they are brave, and are often known to commit suicide, under the irritation of punishment or disgrace. 3d. Macua tribe — from the Mozambique coast ; gene- rally quiet, docile, and lazy; not very numerous in Cuba. 4th. Caravali tribe — from the western coast of Africa ; very industrious and avaricious ; also choleric and hasty 176 CONGOU MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. in temper. Most of the free negroes in the island who are rich belong to this tribe. 5th. Miri'i tribe — also from the west; lazy, stupid, and of no marked character.* 6th. Gangas — also from the west; very mild and docile, but lazy. The greatest number of the Cuban slaves are from this nation. 7th. Avara — also from the west; of no peculiar char- acter. 8th. Mandinga — from the western side ; general character, quiet, obedient, and honest. The Congous have a singular method of conversing, by means of their simple and rough music, of which they are very fond : two of them meet on a road, one begins to sing, the other catches up the strain and answers in it ; and thus they converse for a period of an hour or two. I heard one of litem play on a instrument, which certainly, in simplicity of contrivance exceeded any that I had ever seen. It is composed entirely of two sub- stances, the one a kind of “ guira” or gourd ; the upper extremity of w r hich is hollowed out with a knife, so as to answer the purpose of the SS holes in a violin. From the top to the bottom of this fruit are stretched about a dozen horse hairs ; the bow is also formed of horse-hair, stretched on a bit of bent cane. On this instrument, our black Paganini played several quaint and not unmusical airs ; in their style and character they bore a wonderful resemblance to some of the highland pibrochs, and the sound of the instrument was not unlike that of our pipes, heard at a distance. There is another instrument on which they play, which is constructed on a principle something similar to a Jew’s-harp : it is made of a hollow and elastic cane, to which is attached, at one extremity, a small piece of a gourd, to the other a string, which they draw tight by means of the elastic stick, and placing it in the mouth, and before the teeth, produce a sound by the vibration of the air, giving more or less breath, according to the effect which they wish to produce. Some of these tribes * Of this nation, there is a branch called Mir.a-po-pe. NEGRO SUICIDE. 177 are tattooed on the arms, cheeks, &c., like the North American Indians, or the savages of the Pacific Islands. While I was yet Mr. D.’s guest, a messenger arrived from his “ ingenio” to announce to him that one of his negroes had hanged himself: on inquiry he proved to be a young man of the Lucumi tribe, mentioned No. 2. He had not been in the island above nine or ten months, and had never been punished, nor had he complained of any ill-treatment. He committed this suicide under the circumstances which Mr. D. informs me usually accom- pany such an aciion among the negroes : he asked for his new suit of clothes, which happened to be due to him at this time, and put them on ; he then took his pig, his “ machete,” (a kind of bill-hook with which they cut sugar-cane, wood, &c.,) and whatever little moveable property he possessed, and gathering it all into a heap under a tree, hung himself over it. This is doubtless owing to a superstition prevalent in his tribe, that in the world to which he was going, such articles would be useful to him. I have before noticed a belief, very similar to this, as common among some of the North American Indians. The following day I bade adieu with sincere regret to my agreeable host, and putting myself on board the “ General Tacon” steamer, arrived in six hours at Havana. I found the whole mercantile population in great excite- ment. The prices of sugar had advanced with unex- ampled rapidity, and instead of ligand 15J reals per arrobe, they had risen in one week to 13^ for brown, and 17 J- for white. One merchant of my acquaint- ance sold fifty boxes on the 12th of February for 19 reals. Some speculators realized immense sums in a few days; others again were afraid that the European demand would not warrant such extravagant prices, even under the favourable circumstances of a small crop in Jamaica, and a still smaller in Louisiana, Alabama, and other southern districts in the United States. It may not be uninteresting to some of my readers if I give an account of the management of a sugar estate in Cuba, with some additional particulars regarding the expenditure, produce, and profits. This information I 178 MANAGEMENT OF A SUGAR ESTATE IN CUBA. am enabled to give with accuracy by the kindness of a proprietor, who showed me his books and explained the details to me on the spot. I have before mentioned that most of the nobility and wealthy proprietors on the island have several sugar estates and coffee plantations. In these cases the management is intrusted to a steward, called an “ administrator,” who makes a weekly return to his employer of the quantity of cane cut, the number of carl-loads brought in, the number of pans or loaves made and sold, the hogsheads of molasses extracted, together with a report of the health of the negroes and cattle. (A literal copy of one of these weekly returns will be found in the Appendix.) The best season for cutting and pressing the cane is in March or April, when it yields twenty per cent, more sugar than if cut in the winter; but generally ihe process of grinding cane continues in different part of the island, from rhe beginning of December until the end of May. The estates are divided into so many “ canaverales,” or cane-fields, each of which contains on an average, seven- teen acres. The “ ingenio” which I am now about to describe, is worked by two hundred and seventy slaves, one hundred and seventy male, and one hundred female, exclusive of children ; it produces fifty-nine thousand five hundred arrobes, or three thousand five hundred boxes of sugar, calculating the box at seventeen arrobes. In 183(5 the average price was 13 reals per arrobe for brown, and 17 for white sugar, which gives a mean of 15 reals per ar- robe. A real is one-eighth of a dollar : thus the total revenue arising from the produce as above stated, will be 111,562 dollars. The annual expenditure on this “ ingenio” is 24,000 dollars, including an ad valorem calculation of two per cent, for the loss of negroes, and four for that of cattle ; deducting this sum from the gross revenue abovementioned, there remains 87,562 dollars as the profit of the sugar on this “ ingenio j’ There are also to be added one thousand hogsheads (bocoyas) of molasses at 12| dollars, and the profit of two dollars oil the boxes allowed by the merchants to the growers : these additions bring the clear revenue of this estate, in THIS CARNIVAL. 179 1836, to 107,000 dollars, or about 21,000/. sterling. As I have before mentioned that sorpe proprietors in the island make seven or eight thousand boxes of sugar, and one or two make ten thousand, the reader may form some opinion of the revenues accruing to them during such years as 1836. Under these circumstances, the carnival was most gaily kept ; hearts were light and purses heavy, and as the governor had put a stop to the public gambling in the island, the overflowing spirits and pockets of the Cubans exhausted themselves in balls, masquerades, theatres, and every kind of show. Among these last I went to see a bull-fight, which was given about a mile from the town ; it was an imitation of that so well known and so often described in Spain ; it had its “ picadores,” its “ matador,” and all the other ministers of torment and death to the unfortunate bull ; but the imitation was so bad, that nothing belonging to it is worthy of record ; two horses were killed and two men nearly so ; the bulls were wild and alarmed, but not savage, and it required all the galling and provocation of barbed darts and fire- works to make them attack. The spectacle was nume- rously attended, as it had not been seen in Havana for two or three years; few women were present and no ladies. The musical world were all discontented at the ill- success of the Italian Opera, which was partly owing to accidents which could not be foreseen : two of the prima-donnas were confined to their bedrooms with bad colds ; and there was not one tenor or bass voice in the company qualified to take a first part. As regards the ballet, the dancers could walk or run if required, but could not dance ! and thus all went wrong at the opera. I amused myself, on some of the evenings, in calling at the houses of my Spanish acquaintance, and became a frequent guest at one of those little soirees , called here “ teriullias.” At one of these, the owner of the house was a complete pianist ; his daughter had a very fine voice, and sang with much feeling and taste : she was usually accompanied by a cousin, who sang a good bass ; and I passed many hours most agreeably in this house. ISO COMMERCE. Perhaps I am bound to add that the Senorita was very pretty and amiable, as well as musical. I now began to accustom myself to the Spanish ha- bits, and could offer or request a light fora cigar without being taken for a Boeotian.* I strolled lazily about the promenade of fashion, a kind of boulevards called the “ Alameda;” and in the evening, after sipping my sher- bet, and eating an ice in the Lonja, enjoyed my cigar in the Plaza de Armas, observing the assemblage collected from all parts of the earth, and the gay volantes passing and repassing, charged with sundry mantillas or dark veils, from behind which a pair of lustrous eyes now and then ventured to emerge. This scene, under the influ- ence of a mild air, and a crescent moon, with the ad- dition of a military band of music, was certainly suf- ficient to drive all wintry associations from the mind. — During the day I entered into conversation with all per- sons, whether native or foreign, from whom I could glean any useful information respecting the commerce and statistics of the island-: in this manner I became gradually more familiar with the language, and learnt to express myself, if not correctly, at least with sufficient fluency to be understood. The commerce carried on between this island and the United States has increased to an extraordinary extent within twenty years. In 1813-14, the yearly exports from the United Slates to all the Spanish islands did not amount to three million dollars ; and in 1833, their ex- ports to Cuba alone exceeded fifteen million dollars. — These consist chiefly of flour, beef, pork, dried fish, and lard ; besides a variety of domestic manufactures, such as hats, leather, soap, gunpowder, household furniture, &c. The exports from Cuba to the. United States are chiefly sugar, coffee, and molasses ; of these the amount in the same year (1833) was, of sugar, forty-eight mil- lion pounds ; of coffee, thirty-nine million pounds ; and of molasses, ten and a half million gallons. I do not find, in the official returns of that year, any statement of the * In this act of asking or giving a light for a cigar, a IJavanese will at once recognize a countryman, a Mexican, an American, or an old Spaniard. STATISTICS. TRAFFIC IN SLAVES. 181 quantity of tobacco exported to the United States; but in the staistics of the island, published in 1830, the amount exported from Cuba was 606,000 pounds.* According to the census published in 1827, the popu- lation amounted to 704,493; of whom 311,051 were whites, 106,500 free (coloured), and 286,942 slaves; but it is probable that a considerable increase has taken place since that date. I have before mentioned, that the treaty made in 1817, for the abolition of slavery, came into operation in 1820 ; and it is a singular circumstance, that the value or price of an able-bodied negro is 20 or 25 per cent, lower than it was before the ratification of that treaty. Certainly, all a 'priori reasoning would lead to a conclusion directly opposite, as we should be inclined to suppose that in an island, the cultivation of which has been greatly extended, while the supply of negro labour has been limited, if not checked, by British cruisers, the price of slaves would have proportionably increased : as the reverse is the fact, it is to be feared that the exertions made for the suppression of the slave-trade, however strenuous and praiseworthy, have been hitherto almost ineffectual ; neither can it be expected that they ever will be effectual, until it is considered and declared pi- racy by the great naval powers, and a force of cruisers maintained on the African coast, sufficient to destroy all the hopes and profits of those concerned in this inhuman traffic. If it could be thus checked for a few years it would, in a great measure, be destroyed ; for the negro chiefs, who now carry down to the sea-shore the unior- tunate wretches whom they have kidnapped or taken in war, even from the most remote inland districts, w T ould soon abandon that practice, when they found that there was no market for them ; and thus it is probable that ere long this stain upon humanity might be finally ef- faced. At present the profits of this traffic are so high, that the speculators in it laugh at the means employed for its prevention. If they can bring one cargo out of every three safe into port, they can well afford to lose the re- * Estadistica de Espana, por M. de Joun£s. Barcelona, 1835. Vol. II.— Q ^ 82 DINNER WITH THE GOVERNOR, maining two ; and there is reason to fear, that, in defL ance of the precautions hitherto adopted, at least two out of three reach their destination. Even when captured off the coast of Cuba, many abuses take place which the commissioners are unable to detect or prevent ; espe- cially in the case of those negroes who are intrusted or apprenticed to proprietors on the island. But this branch of the subject would lead me into details loo minute for a work of this kind, which only pretends to narrate faithfully those particulars which came immediately un- der the writer’s personal observation. I will therefore conclude it with one additional fact, too important to be omitted : i. e. during my residence in this part of the world, the value of an able-bodied negro in Louisiana, and the slave states of the United States, was about double that of the same individual in Cuba, being from 450 to 500 dollars in the latter, and 900 or 1,000 dollars in the former. Can any one believe that the cupidity of Spanish slave-dealers on the one hand, and the specula-* tive enterprise of Americans on the other, will leave such a lucrative field for smuggling unimproved? — or that, if the authorities at New Orleans and Charleston conscien- tiously prevent the importation of slaves, the mouths of the Rio del Norte, the Sabine, the Brasos, and other rivers flowing through Texas and the adjoining regions, do not afford ample opportunities for landing the human cargo, and thus transporting it across the frontier into the United States ? On the 14th and 15th of February I dined wdth the governor. His style of living was, like his manner, plain and unostentatious. The conversation was carried on exclusively in Spanish, and my imperfect knowledge of that language rendered me a scanty contributor to it. The topics canvassed were all on general subjects ; and I could not help observing, that the governor’s aid-de- camps and officers spoke as freely and unrestrainedly as if he had not been present. His character was such as to command respect, and he had too much real power to care about idle forms. After dinner he took me in his coach to see the new prison, which he was then con- structing. It -is a plain solid Grecian building, of the MASKED BALLS. r 183 Doric order, and capable of containing a great number of prisoners. It is built of stone throughout ; and, like the roads, the street-paving, and all the other public works in- progress, is carried on at small expense ; because the workmen employed consist of runawayslaves, white ma- lefactors, and some bands of Carlist prisoners sent over from Spain. On the two evenings before alluded to, were masked balls, which I attended. They were much the same as those in New Orleans, or in London : they amuse a stranger for half an hour, and then become exceedingly tiresome ; but, to one who knows a lovely face hidden behind an ugly mask, and a full fair figure beneath the uncouth bundle of clothes before him, there is, doubtless, much pleasure and excitement to be found, especially as chaperons and duennas are exposed to constant am- bushes, and words may be exchanged which would die on the lips were the mutual faces unmasked. Neverthe- less, it appears to me that the reign of Comus oyer the civilized world is nearly at an end. I saw many handsome women in the room, and an ex- clusive admirer of eyes might here have enjoyed a feast. There were also two or three very pretty young ladies from America, who had come to pass the winter. On hearing the monotony of the Spanish country dance in- terrupted by a French cotillon, I asked one of these to dance : we stood up, and I was astonished to see the formality of the circle formed round our quadrille ; but, fortunately for us, there was a larger set at the other end of the room, who occupied the attention of the greater part of the spectators. Astonishment was turned into horror, when I learned that the quadrille in Havana is considered a theatre for the display of capering : the spectators were ranged like infantry in line of battle, the front row kneeling or sitting, the middle standing, and the rear mounted on chairs, clapping the entrechats with the vehemence of a Drury-lane gallery. I cared nothing for myself, as I philosophically resolved to w T alk through the figure as quietly as if I were in London ; but I really felt for my partner, who, though a very pretty dancer, was too modest and feminine to approve of this exhibition. I 184 SAIL FOR CHARLESTON. — A STORM. saw, from the sudden changes of colour on her counte- nance, that she was nervous and uncomfortable ; and I sincerely regretted having been unconsciously instru- mental in placing her in such a predicament. To add to the ogremens of our situation, we were so far from the music that we could not hear a note, nor a sound, except the hand-clappings which accompanied the “ light fan- tastic toe” performances in the larger quadrille. I was very glad when it was over, and made a resolution not to be caught again by a cotillon in Havana. I can only hope that my fair partner bears no malice against me for my share in the transaction. The following day was my last in Havana, and I bade adieu to many in it with sincere regret. I embarked on board the steam-boat to Matanzas, where the brig w r as lying which was to convey me and one or two of my friends to Charleston. She had not got in all her cargo ; so I found myself again for a couple of days the guest of Mr. S. D , who received me with the same kind- ness and hospitality as before. At length our brig’s lading was completed, and we set sail for Charleston. I had to complain of being griev- ously cheated by the Spanish port officers, and was made to pay sixteen dollars for passports for myself and ser- vant. The two might have been included in one paper, and the proper charge was four dollars. Our little ves- sel, though deep in the water, was an excellent sea-boat, and she ran swiftly and safely through that difficult sea between the Bahamas and Florida, which, owing to strong and ever-varying currents, sudden storms, and hid- den reefs of rock, has caused the wreck of more craft than any other corner of old Ocean’s tide. We met with neither trouble, storm, nor accident, un- til we were within fifteen miles of the bar off Charleston, when a kind of ominous fog came on, mixed with a cold drizzling sleet. As this cleared off*, the whole heaven to windwaid became covered with clouds as black as night, separated by long horizontal streaks of a blood-red hue. I never remember to have seen so wild a sky; large sul- len drops of rain descended at. irregular intervals, and a line of foam came driving over the vexed bosom of the ARRIVAL IN HARBOUR. 3 85 deep. So threatening was the appearance of the coming storm, that our captain took in every stitch of canvass, leaving nothing but the ropes and masts to abide its fury. It came with a rushing whirling sound, as if it had only just burst from the cave of dEolus, and for a few minutes all the rigging and spars seemed to creak, bow, and groan beneath its force; but the stout brig 'remained unhurt, the mingled rain and spray dashed over her low black sides,, and a good ducking was the reward of those whose curiosity prompted them to appear on deck. The squall was of short duration, and was succeeded by the same cold wind and sleet which had preceded it; the fog con- tinued brooding over the sea, and no pilot came out to take us over the bar, which is situated in one of the most sinuous and dangerous channels of any harbour in Ame- rica. Our captain determined upon the bold measure of piloting her in himself, very properly judging that, if the fog thickened, or the wind rose again, he might be blown off shore, and, perhaps, have to remain two or three days more at sea. The event justified this decision ; he brought us safe into harbour. The succeeding night was very tempestuous, during which were several snorting squalls from the north-west, which might, had we been at sea, have driven us almost to Nassau. I had been but very few hours on shore when I met several old acquaintances, made during my tour in the north and east, and began very early to experience symp- toms of that warmth of hospitality for which Carolina is so celebrated. I found also a large packet of letters from home, in the charge of the British consul. 1 had received none for two or three months ; with what haste did I shut myself into my room, and devour the welcome contents ! The wax was all ted , — death and disease had spared my paternal roof, and for more than an hour I en- joyed the luxury of intercourse with those most loved on earth, and felt deeply grateful to the merciful Being who had preserved them to me. Q 186 CHARLESTON. CHAPTER XII. Charleston. — Hospitality of the Inhabitants. — The Carolinian Charac- ter. — Change in the Law of Primogeniture. — Education. — College at West Point. — Republicanism of Charleston. — Tone of Society. — Saintly Newspaper Editors. — Sail for Norfolk. — Arrival there. — A Race. — Passage from Norfolk. — American Seamen. — Night Scene on board the Steamer. — Arrival at Washington. — Debates in Congress. — Diplomatic Dinners. — General Jackson. — Mr. Van Buren. — Me- diation of Great Britain between the United States and France. — Proceed to Baltimore. — Commerce of that City. — Philadelphia — its Society and Hospitality. — Route to New-York. — Indian Excitement. — Threatening Aspect of Indian Affairs. — American State Militia. — Streets of New York. — Dinner given by the St. George’s Society. — Races on Long Island. — Visit to a Friend’s Country Seat on the Banks of the Hudson. — Return to New York. I shall not attempt to give a description of Charles- ton, which is nearly as well known to the civilized world as Bristol or Liverpool. Every one knows that it is a commercial city, situated on a point of land made by the junction of the rivers Ashley and Cooper ; its longitude being about 80° west, and its latitude about 33® north. Its population is probably about 35,000, of which one half is coloured. It contains no remarkable buildings, either as regards size or architecture, although there are many well-endowed public institutions, especially a li- brary and an orphan asylum, which do great credit to the liberality and charitable disposition of the citizens. The hotels are small and mean, the streets not so hand- some as those in other of the Atlantic cities, and the pri- vate houses, even of the wealthier planters, are smaller than would appear consistent with the gayety and hospi- tality which reigns within their walls. In regard to the latter, I can only say, that during the twelve days which I spent in Charleston, I had a dinner invitation for every day, and I believe the same would have been the case had I remained another month. A gentleman must be very difficult to please if he does THE CAROLINIAN CHARACTER. 187 not find the Charleston society agreeable ; there is some- thing warm, frank, and courteous in the manner of a real Carolinian ; he is not studiously, but naturally, polite ; and, though his character may not be remarkable for that persevering industry and close attention to minutiae in business, which are so remarkable in the New England merchant, he is far from deficient in sagacity, courage, or enterprise. Altogether, with due allowance for ex- ceptions, I should say that the Carolinian character is more akin to that of England ; the New England, to that of the lowland Scotch. These affinities (supposing that I am justified in observing their existence) are by no means to be wondered at, if we consider the original ele- ments of which each of the colonies was formed, and the additions which they subsequently received from the mother country. Moreover, the southern colonists, who were mostly episcopalians, and many of them members of the oldest and noblest families in Britain, retained till very lately a predilection for institutions which were little regarded by their northern brethren. That which may be cited as most important and in- fluential in the formation of their character, was their habitual preference of an English collegiate education for their sons. Before the year 1770, almost every planter sent his boys to Oxford or Cambridge, where he had been himself educated ; the necessary consequence of this custom, was a partial adoption of the manners, lastes, and perhaps, too, the faults of the British youth of the higher classes. Hence, they imbibed a fondness for horses, and hunting, and other gay amusements, as well as a share of the light accomplishments of the day ; all of which tended to make them averse to the drudgery of business. This disinclination was increased by the na- ture of their property in Carolina, which, being culti- vated by slaves, under the inspection of a factor, left them little of the business of a proprietor, excepting the yearly or half yearly audit of accounts. As I before said, there were many exceptions to these remarks : men who waged war in person with the ancient forest, and with their own hand, or under their own eye, planted, in its place, maize, rice, and cotton ; men who attained wealth by hardship 188 EDUCATION. and perseverence : but these instances, though not rare, formed the exception, not the rule, as may be gathered both from colonial history, and from the internal and more certain evidence of character above described. Since the declaration of independence, many causes have been in operation calculated to change the manners and character of the Carolinian ; but they have only par- tially effected this change, and a close and attentive ob- server can very plainly recognize in the quality of the stream the fountain whence it flows. The most obvious change is that of education, for which it is no longer the fashion to select Oxford or Cambridge. Connected with this is the change which has taken place in the laws of succession to real estate ; these used to be conformed to the English law of primogeniture ; whereas now, a divi- sion of property among all the children takes place, and the planter, with his own portion of the paternal estate, can no longer send his sons to an English university; they are accordingly educated at some college near home, or more usually in the eastern states. My opinion of these, as compared with Oxford or Cambridge, would not be believed unprejudiced, even if it were entirely so ; let the science and scholarship of the young men whom they respectively send forth, decide the merits of each. I take it for granted, that, in respect to classics and pure mathematics, the Americans would not care to contest the point, because, from the limited attention which they bestow upon these studies, it cannot be expected that they should make the same progress as students who de- vote to them several years of intense labour, in order to take a first class or a wrangler’s degree ; but whether they do not, at the different colleges in the United States, receive an education as well suited to the objects which they are destined to pursue in after life, is a different question. The best that I have seen is West Point ; that establishment has sent out many young officers well- grounded in the lower mathematics, and the other branches of science required in an engineer. To return to Charleston. This city affords a very sin- gular spectacle ; the planters are generally impoverished by the division of property ; they have lost many of their NEWSPAPER EDITORS. 189 patrician notions, (call them, if you will, prejudices ;) the increased commerce has raised 10 affluence, and conse- quently brought into fashionable society, many merchants with whom the planters would not associate on terms of intimacy fifty years ago ; and thus, while the society of Boston, Philadelphia, and New York, is daily becoming more exclusive and aristocratic, that of the Carolinian capital is becoming more republican. The tone of society which here, as elsewhere, is under female control, struck me as being very agreeable : there is nothing in it of that formality or ostentation which I had been led to expect. The very noblest and wealthiest houses in London might take example, in one particular, from Charleston ; namely, in the refreshments offered at balls, and other evening parties. On these occasions, I have known many instances in the British metropolis where the dancers and other guests have been offered gooseberry champaign, vin-du-pays claret, Marsala sher- ry, and Cape madera; while the other arrangements of the evening were conducted upon a scale of extravagant magnificence. A Charleston gentleman offers his guests as good wine at his supper as at his dinner-table. 1 know the excuse is ready, that the parties in London are so nu- merously attended, and upon such an immense scale, that similar arrangements would not be practicable there. This is but an excuse, and a lame one. If a gentleman cannot afford to give good champaign, let him give good sherry ; and if not that, good negus ; but no man’s osten- tation should lead him to poison his friends.* I spent ten days most pleasantly in Charleston; and though some of the saintly newspaper editors wrote fu- rious tirades against the waltz, scarcely an evening pass- ed of which we did not spend a part in that charming importation from Germany. The wrath of these con- sistent worthies amused me very much. To slander, vituperate, and, if possible, to ruin the character of a political opponent, is a matter of daily practice among them ; but a dance, the only impropriety of which is in * I made a similar observation during my visit to New Orleans, but it is true , and will bear repetition, 190 A RACE. the mind of an improper thinker , is anathematized with- out mercy. This subject is worn threadbare ; but no- where is it treated with less candour, or with more ex- aggeration than by a writer, whom I and all the world must concur in admiring for his pure English and amia- ble sentiments, in the “ Sketch-book,” and for the quaint description and satirical humour of “Knickerbocker.” I parted with much reluctance from some of my fair partners in this condemned dance ; they were pretty, agreeable, and intelligent, and in one respect have an ad- vantage over most of their northern sisters (if the judge is to be a person accustomed to English society), — I mean as regards voice ; they have not that particular in- tonation and pronunciation which I had remarked else- where, and which must have struck every stranger who has visited the other Atlantic cities. There is one subject connected with Charleston on which I am afraid to venture, lest I be suspected of be- ing a confirmed gourmand — I mean the madera ; which is so soft, so delicate, so fragrant, that one fancies it fit only for the fairy banquet of a Calypso, or an Armida, and to be poured forth by Hebe, and not by the good-hu- moured grinning, black Ganymede, in whose hands me- thinks I now see it before me. After a fortnight agreeably spent in the hospitalities of Charleston, I sailed for Norfolk, on board of the “ Po- cahontas she was extremely crowded, and I was so for- tunate as to have in the midst of the confusion a few friends who were bound like myself for Baltimore via Norfolk. We were almost constantly in sight of land, but saw nothing of interest on the coast, which is low, flat, and sandy ; while the navigation is unpleasant to sailing-vessels from the number of shoals and currents. We arrived without accident at Norfolk ; and as it was evident that the small and scant hotels in that town could not afford lodging to half our passengers, we all gather- ed to the side of the steamer, and prepared for a race as soon as we should be near enough to jump ashore. It happened that the best tavern (the same at which I had stayed the previous year) was nearly a mile from the ■wharf, and as it was a sweepstakes for all sizes, it pro-- Passage from norfoLk. i9i tnised excellent sport : some carried weight in the form of a great-coat or cloak — these were soon “ shut out and the other running-horses made play up the main street, to the astonishment of the quiet citizens, who stared and cleared the course. The stout and pursy competitors soon began to fall into the rear ; then followed those who had been the most successful at the late scramble for dinner, and had swallowed that meal in unreasonable quantity, and still more un- reasonable haste ! Although I by no means consider myself a good runner, it would be very hard if a man trained among the hills in Scotland, and having passed the last summer in the western prairies, could not be tolerably placed among such heavy cattle as I was now opposed to : accordingly, I and a young friend who ac- companied me arrived first, and secured sleeping apart- ments, and then went out to see the remainder “ come in.” Some were distanced, others had “ broken down,” and some had bolted and taken to smaller taverns by the way, which offered a tempting halt to panting and per- spiring travellers. I called upon my old acquaintance, the British consul* and was glad to find him and his family in good health. The town was little changed since I left it, and as I walked among houses and shops, every one of which l remembered, I could scarcely believe that I had been more than two or three weeks absent. In the morning, before the Charleston boat started, I paid a visit to a young lady, whose acquaintance I had made on my former tour, and whose beauty was known to every one in the town except herself. She had been in delicate health all the winter; and though her friends assured me it “ was only a cough, and that she was now better,” I could not help fearing that the most wily and insidious of fiends, consumption, already lurked beneath the hectic flush on those soft cheeks, and the too lustrous beaming of those deep blue eyes. I know nothing more painfully interesting than to witness this silent and un- conscious withering of the fairest flower in the garden of beauty, for it is generally upon such that he lays his deadly grasp, adorning his victim at the same time with graces, more delicate than are usually bestowed upon the 192 AMERICAN SEAMENi votaries of health, and strewing the cheek with roses, while he is poisoning the secret springs of life within. Most sincerely do I hope that I may have erred in ap- plying these remarks to the amiable being who suggested them. The passage from Norfolk to Baltimore was yet more unpleasant than that of the preceding day, and the steam- boat more crowded. There were neither berths nor even mattresses to be had, and the dinner-table was laid and cleared twice before any person could procure a meal who did not choose to risk a torn coat and bruised shoul- ders. The only amusement w r as on the upper deck, where one or two hundred seamen, fresh from a man-of- war, lately paid off, were dancing, shouting, drinking, and frolicking with all the uncouth merriment peculiar to these Tritons, when newly released from restraint and discipline. However, I must say that the American sailors, although they handle a ship and a thirty-two pounder as well as any seamen in the world, do not dance as well as the British tars. Philosophers may inquire into the cause, and possibly (as it does sometimes hap- pen) before they have ascertained it, the facts may be reversed. When the night set in it was most amusing to see the various expedients for slumber to which the passengers had recourse ; in the fore-cabin, where I and my com- panions had engaged berths, we found two or three drunken sailors in each ; and the steward fairly told us that the ship’s company was much too feeble to attempt to dislodge them. I saw the truth of this, and as my mat- tress was an unattainable blessing, I contrived to extract my pillow from below two or three drowsy, shaggy, and growling heads, and marched off with it in triumph. On reaching the after-cabin I found the berths there all full, the tables strewed with sleepers, and the floor so crowded that Cinderella herself could not have stepped over its tenants without treading on arms, legs, and noses. I found a young man with whom I was slightly ac- quainted, roaring lustily from his berth for a pillow, say- ing that he could not sleep without one. As I still held my prize under my arm, I called out to him that I would ARRIVAL AT WASHINGTON. 103 toss up with him whether I should give him my pillow or he give me his mattress. He agreed : I won ; so I hauled the mattress upon deck, sat down upon it, lighted my cigar, and by the smoky light of a lamp, be- gan to play ecarte with a young friend from New York. The weather became intensely cold ; and after playing half the night, I betook myself to my plaid, he to his cloak, and we tried to sleep. In the morning we found that it was a hard frost, and a brisk north-wester had been flirting with our ears and neck towards the dawn ; this freak cost me a cold and a stiff neck for forty-eight hours. I proceeded immediately to Washington, and with great pleasure found myself once more under the same roof with my old companions, friends, and countrymen in the British legation. I remained here about ten days enjoying the society of many esteemed and valued acquaintance, attending also, occasionally, the debates in congress. In these last, there was nothing at the time under discussion which possessed much general interest, neither did I hear any great efforts of any of the more eminent speakers ; but I was confirmed in my opinion of the preceding session, namely, that the general tone of manner, eloquence, and debate, is beyond all comparison more gentlemanly, as well as more business-like, in the Senate than in the House of Representatives. In the circle of my own friends (for it is gratifying to me to believe that in Wash- ington I had and have friends whom I most highly re- gard), the hand of the Destroyer had been more than once lifted up during my absence ; the scenes of former social mirth were now houses of mourning ; and, though balls and evening parties still went gaily on, and were adorned by new and attractive faces, I missed some of those which had been most familiar to me, and their ab- sence dulled my enjoyment of the passing festivities. As an admirer, however* of good cheer, I had arrived at a most auspicious period, for the new British Minister had just made his first appearance, and I was invited to the diplomatic dinners .which were given to him on his arrival by the President, the Vice-President, the Secre- Vol. H.— R 294 DIPLOMATIC DINNERS, taries of State, &c. Gen. Jackson appeared to me much more infirm than when I had last seen him ; a ten- dency of blood to the head which obliges him to have frequent recourse to the cups and the lancet, had doubt- less contributed to reduce and enfeeble his system. The Vice-President I found as agreeable as ever ; and what- ever opinion I or others may entertain of the general conduct of his supporters and the measures pursued by his party, no man who is acquainted with Mr. Van Buren can fail to discover that he is a shrewd and able statesman, and a well-read and well-informed man, whose manner is polite, and whose conversation is both amusing and instructive. I confess also that there was something gratifying to me in the language which he al- ways used when speaking of Britain. He seems to have been treated in London with kindness and distinc- tion, and to feel grateful for attentions which were indeed due to his accomplishments, as well as to the diplomatic station which he held.* I was much pleased with the light in which all the more liberal and enlightened Americans viewed the me- diation of Great Britain between the United States and France in their late dispute and threatened war: the manner in which it was offered was doubtless honoura- ble to Great Britain ; nor was the manner in which it was received and acknowledged less creditable. to the United States government. As to France, she may explain and comment upon the transaction as she pleases ; but to any disinterested spec- tator, her conduct throughout appears weak and shuf- fling. If she was insulted by the President’s message of 1834, she ought to have gone to war at once (and most fatal would it have been to the interest of the Uni- ted States had she done so); but, after withholding for a year the payment of money which she had acknowledged * Since the text was written, Mr. Van Buren has become President of the United States. Many other political changeshave occurred, but I have left my journal exactly as it originally stood. In a narrative of this kind, I prefer relating faithfully the impression produced on my mind at the time, to giving an opinion formed upon subsequent oc- currences. PROCEED TO BALTIMORE. 195 to be due, and demanding an apology for insulting or threatening language used by the President; after call- ing back her own corps diplomatique and dismissing that of the United States ; she gave up at once all the points which touched either her honour or her avarice, and agreed to pay the required indemnities on receiving the Presi- dent’s message of 1835, which repeated the spirit and tenour of his former language, with the addition, “ that he would not tarnish his own or his country’s honour by offering either explanation or apology.” Did the bigotted sovereign who was driven by force from the throne of France, ever dare so to humble her in the eyes of the world ? Nations, like individuals, should follow old Polonius’s advice. “ Beware of entering into quarrel, but, being in. Bear it that the opposer may beware of thee !” From Washington, I proceeded to Baltimore, by the railroad, which is as rough and ill-constructed as any I ever travelled upon ; the distance is about forty-five miles, and we were considerably more than four hours in performing it. In this thriving and admirably situated town, I passed a few days very agreeably. I went to a few small parties, and saw some specimens of the beauty for which it is so justly celebrated ; but the beautiful vision which 1 had seen the year before, at Tam o’Shan- ter’s exhibition, and which still lived in my thoughts, never blessed my eyes again. The mania of speculation which has prevailed to such unparralleled extent in New York, Chicago, &c., has not yet reached this city, and the price of land seems to me as unaccountably low here as it is absurdly high else- where. The commerce of Baltimore is great ; it is the most central and the nearest of all the Atlantic cities to the great marts of western produce, and is the nucleus of almost all the railroads in the United States. Unless I am much mistaken, building lots in Baltimore will rise nearly a hundred per cent, in the course of the next five years : there is a chance for the speculators — but they must be Americans as the laws of Maryland prohibit aliens from holding and inheriting real estate. Such re 196 ROUTE TO NEW YORK. gulatrons may be wise, but I have yet to learn wherein their wisdom consists, when applied to a country which wants i>o elements of wealth and prosperity, but popula- tion and capital. From hence I went to Philadelphia, which has always been my favourite of all the American cities : there is here more quiet and leisure, more symptoms of comfort, than elsewhere. It contained many of my friends, and, in the beauty of its women, it yields to no place that it has yet been my lot to visit. With this I feasted my eye. My ear was entranced by the very sweetest and most powerful harpist whose fingers ever swept the chords. Madera poured forth for me her thousand choicest vintages, and every culinary temptation, from the rich Pennsylvania butter to the luscious terrapin, wooed my stay. Moreover, I had made the acquaint- ance of several literary men, whose conversation was most agreeable ; among others, the venerable M. Dupon-