Part 4
lay in Camp all day Eating and Smokeing With the Indeans—and took the Bareing of the mountains from a point one Half mile north of our Camp—High Peak N 61 W South Eand of Same mountain N 82 W Heare a new mountain appeers or is a Ridge in the forkes of the River North Eand Nᵒ 84 W South Eand N 87 W—Nᵒ 2 of the first mountains North Eand Sᵒ 87 W Highest Point Sᵒ 45 W—Heare the mountain takes a more Westwardly Corse and Continues a broken Ridge to a High point or Ridge and Stands Sᵒ 42 W—and falling a little lower and Continues to the forth mountains or double Peekes—Which Stands thus 4th Sᵒ 27 W 5th Sᵒ 25 West from this point We See no more of the mountains to the South We See large parteys of Indeans Comeing in threw the day and Seting up their Houses or lodges—
22nd nov 1821—
Remained in Camp all day Holding Counsels Eating and Smokeing and traiding a little With Indans—
the snow Has now Increeced to about 10 Inches deep and the Wind Extreemly Cold the River frosen up Close the Ice to a great thickness—and Heare in the Coldest mornings you might see Several Hundred Children Naked—Running and playin on the Ice—Without the least appeerence of Suffering from the Cold—the Highatans[66] amounting to about 350 lodges arived this day and Camped With the others We are now Incresed to a cettey—
friday 23rd nov 1821—
this morning a Councel Was hild amongst the Cheefs of both the nations and Conl glann With his Interpreter Was Sent for—and Was told by the Ietan Cheef that the Ware Readey to Receve the goods in His Posesion that His father the Presedent Had Sent them—But When He Was told that there Was no Such goods He Became in a great Pashion and told the Conl that He Was a lyer and a theef and that He Head Stolen the goods from His farther[67] and that He the Cheef—Wold take the goods and Segnefyed that He Wold kill the Conl and His men too upon Which the Conl and His Inturpreter With drew—the Cheefs of both nations Remaned in Counsel all day—and our Setuation Was not of the most plesent nature. the Kiaways Ware our frends But the others Ware the most numerous—the former Clames us their property and frens But the later We aprehend intend to use force and in this Setuation We Remained all day—the young Warriors Crouded Round us so that We Cold Scarcly Stir—about Sun down a tall Indean Came Runing threw the Camp Calling out—me arapaho Cheef White mans mine and Shakeing Hands With us as fast as poseble asked for the White man Captain and on being Shoon In a lodge Wheare Conl glann With the Inturpreter Was—He Rushed in—but Was out In an Instant thumping His brest With His fist saying White man mine arapoho Plenty Pointing the Way He Came—from [which] We soon understood that the Hole nation Ware at Hand and that We Head nothing to dred from the Highatans—Who began to disappeer from about us—and from that time We felt In Purfect Securety Haveing two out of three of the nation In our favour and part of the 3rd our frends—but the are all Sobordenet to their Cheefs—
Satterday 24th november 1821
a nomber of Cheefs of other nations arive In Camp—thing Ware [things wore] a better appeerence—We Sopose there Is now about 350 lodges—Some little traid for Buffelow Roabs for the benefit of the Hands on our arivel at this Camp there Was about forty lodges of Indeans—Kiawas and Padducas the Continu to Increes and last night on Counting them over find now four Hunderd of the following nations—Ietans—Arrapohoes—Kiawa Padduce—Cheans—Snakes—the Ietan the most numerous and the most Disperete the Arrapohoes the Best and most Sivvel to the White men Habits—but Heare We find some diffeculty in Councl With So many Indeans—and no Inturpreter But Mr Roy—He Spoke Some Pane and [in] that language our Councils Ware Held—the Indeans are Sartainly Ignorent of the Ways or Customs of the White man and Have less Capasety to larn then any Indeans I Have yet Seen—the Have many Wants but no meens of Supplying them—Haveing nothing to traid but Horses and them We do not Want—We have found amongest them about 20 Bever only the Early Habits of those Indeans Precludes them from makeing Bever Hunters as the Cuntry Which the In Habet Contains but few—and the Indeans Hunt the Buffelow
Sunday 25th novem 1821
We found Withe the Ietans a Spanish Prisnor Whome With great difeculty We purchased yesterday With $150 in goods and He In Joyed one night of liberty a Hapey Chaing from that of a Slave to an Indean—but unfortnetly—at day light this morning the goods Ware Returned and the Prisnor taken back to His formor master again—but We Will Spair no means in our power [to] Releve Him again and Send Him out of their Reech this man is from the Southern Provence near St Antoni[68] With Which the Indeans are at War—tho at Peece With new maxeco and the Spanish in Habetance there—We Have been viseted by Some of the Spanish Indeans from maxeco the live in the vilege of Tows[69]—its Six days Easey travel from Heare—the are all Catholicks the Indeans Inform us that there are White men near the great [Pike’s] Peak of the mountain on the River Platt—and three days Hard travel from this place—
on the night of the 23rd a Snow fell about one foot deep and the Weather is now Cold the River frosen up the Ice a great thickness and the Indean Children that is able to walk and up to tall boys are out on the Ice by day light and all as naked as the Came to the World Heare the are at all kinds of Sport Which their Setuation Will admit and all tho the frost is very seveer the apper quite Warm and a lively as I Heave Ever Seen Children In mid Summer I am shure that We Have Seen more than one thousand of these Children on the Ice at one time and Some that Ware too young to Walk Ware taken by the larger ones and Soot on a pece of skin on the Ice and In this Setuation kick its [legs] Round and Hollow and laff at those Round it at play—I have no doupt but that to take one of our White Children and Put it In Such Cold Weather in that Setuation it Cold not live Half an Hour on the 23rd four Ietan Indeans arrive With the news of Peace being maid With the osages by the Big Cheefs below—
five days before our arival at this place a battle Was faught Near the mountains betwen those Indeans and the Crows in which the formor lost nine men and the latter fifteen—amongest the arrapohoes In this Ingagement there Was one young Warear that about two years ago Was Shot threw the boddey and all the Skin taken off His Head down to His Ears for a scelp—and in the last battle Was Shot threw one of His feet Which Is now getting Well—and on this [occasion] an alarm Was Raised of a War party apoching Camp When this man With His father Was amongst the foremost on Hors back to meet danger—but the alarm Was With[out] foundation and all Returned to Camp With[out] a fight
the Kiawa Cheef Reported to us that He Head ben In Council all day on the 23rd With the Ietan Who proposed to Him to Join In a War against osages and the White men—to Which He disagread—dureing the Hole of that day the Ietan manefested a very unfriendly dispsetion to Wards us—and the Princeple Cheefs Informed us that When mager longe[70] Was there He told them that the Predesent Wold Send them plenty of goods and that the goods We Head Ware Sent to Him and that We Head no Wright to traid them but When He discovered that His demands Wold not be Complyed With Chainged His disposetion and Seems very frendly and this night offered Conl glann and Mr Roy Each one of His Wifes—the greates token of frendship those Indeans Can offer—but the offer Was de Clined telling Him that it Was not the White mans Habits
26th nov 1821
We moved one mile down the River to take a better Camp and Build a house and git of of being so Crouded—the Ietan and Some of the Kiawa threatned to stop us but maid no atempt When We Started. We maid our Camp With the old Kiawa Cheef Who moved along With us Heare We Have plenty of young Cotten Wood trees to Cut for the Horses—With good Setuation for our Camp—
27th nov 1821
Early this morning Was advised of thretned atack from the Ietan and the Kiawa and Padduce Indeans in Consequnce of our moveing from their nibor Hood Set the hands at Work Cutting logs to build a House—a Report Came that the Ietans Had mounted Horses to atack us—We Continued at Work on a House—and Was Informed that a party to Protect us Head met the others and turned them back—the Arrapohos about day light this morning Commenced moveing to us and by night from two to three Hunderd lodges Ware Round us as Close as the Cold Set up their lodges Which Seemed to afford ample protection from the others
between 12 & 1 oclock We Received a veset from the Ietan Cheef the first time He Came near us Since We moved He Was very frendly and Efected to know nothing of the difecuealty that had Existed—We Have Heare now about seven Hunderd lodges of the nations mentioned on the 25th With the addicion of the Cheans—about two Hunderd lodges—We Sopose those Lodges to Contain from twelve to twenty pursons of all Sises—Some Horses Have been Stollen Every night Since We arived amongst them Seven of our own are amongst the mising a party of one Hunderd and fifty men Went In pursute of the theefs but Returned Without overtakeing them—We Ware this day much afected by the arivel of Findley Who Head been absent from us 30 days alone and on foot He informed us that Ware parteys of Pannees Ware both behind and before Him tho He seen none—
28th nov 1821
about 10 oClock a party of 200 men Started the diferent nations to Reinforce a party gon before them In pursute of Stolen Horses With orders to Pursu till the Caught them—the Indeans manefest a more frendly disposion and Intimate an Intention of moveing down the River In Consequance of the many Horses Stolen from them Heare—betwen 4 and 500 Horses Have [been] Stolen from them Since We arived and mostly from the Pens in the Center of the vilege surrounded by upwards of seven Hunderd lodges of Wachfull Indeans—the Ware Parties Returned Without Efecting any thing Except those on foot Wore the Soles off their mockesons—
29th nov 1821
the Snow Has Intirely disappeered and the ground dry as dust—
the Remainder of the War partey Have all Returned
on our Way up the River before our arivel at the Indeans Camp I broke one of the glasses out of my Specks—and on puting them on one day I soon felt the Hand of an Indean grasp them from my face He maid off as fast as poseble I gave up the Specks for lost but Head no moad of Replaceing them—In a Short time I Heard great Shouting and laffing and looking to See What Was the Caus I discovered the Indean that Head taken my Specks Leading an other With the Specks on His face the felow Was Led up to me and I was shoon that He Head but on Eye—and that the Specks Wold Sute Him better [than] me as the Head but one glass Heare Eanded the Joack the Returned the Specks in much good Humor amongst all the Ware present
30th november 1821
Pased this day With out any diffigualty Prepareing Some Hunters to trap in the mountains.
1st Decembr 1821
fine Weather nothing new—
2nd norr [Dec.] 1821
an alarm of the Enemy found two of the Horses Soposed to be stolen—the Ietan braught them In—the Hunters detained on act of an alarm—
3rd Decmbr 1821
Started the trappers under the Command of Slover—and With Him Simpson—maxwell—Pryer Findley and Taylor
4th Decmbr 1821
Fine Weather for the Season this day termenated Without any difegualty—the Ietan Cheef Sick Sent for Conl glann to give Some medeson but declined In consequance of His former bad Conduct
6th Decm 1821
Fine Weather the Indeans talk of moveing the Buffelow are now drove to Some distance and this I [is] not to [be] thought Straing as about one Hunderd of them are Eaten In Camp Each day Sinc our aRivel
7th Decm 1821
Fine Weather—nothing new to day
8th Decm 1821
the morning fine Weather the Indeans Still talk of moving but as yet Remain Heare—the furnish [us] With Plenty of the best of buffelow meet at a low Rate bu do not Wish us to Hunt them our Selves—aledgeing We Wold drive the Buffelow all off the Ietan Cheef Calling fore Some medecon a day or two back and find[ing] His Complaint Was not dangerous Conl glann gave Him Some Rice and Black Pepper With derections to boil and make soop of it—to day He paid us a viset Pufed up and Well as Ever the Arrapoho Cheef Says He Was Restored to Health by the Same medeson—
9th Decmbr 1821
Fine Weather Continues—yesterday gave notice that Some Horses Wold be purchased but none Has maid their appeerence—
10th Decm 1821
yesterday purchased one very fine Hors from an Ietan at a High Price—the Weather fine this morning but the Wind from N W no more Horses offered this day—
11th
last night Was Clouday the River is now oppen Haveing thad [thawed] in the those last Warm days—the Weather is now Colder
12th Decm 1821
the Cold Weather Still Continues but the River is not frosen up yesterday a War partey Returned the Ware of the Ietans—With 28 Horses taken from the Crows on the River Platt below the mountains—the Ware five nights Returning the Ietans this day moved up the River We Ware unable to by any more Horses tho We offered High Prices
13th Decm 1821
last night the River frose up the Weather is very Cold the Indeans determen to move up the River for Wood and meet We offerd to go With them on the 15th Which Satisfyed them very much and they offered us Horses to Carry our goods but unable to make any more purchases for feer We leave them a the [as they] appeer much atached to us
14th Decmbr 1821
the Indeans Exspect to meet the Spanyerds on the River above this place to traid With them this morning We Commenced packing up to move—
15th Decm 1821
the Indeans furnished us With Some Horses Which Inabled us to move With them up the River about five miles[71] West from our Camp and Heare Camped on the South Side of the River—but about one mile below Wheare We Camped the Kiawa Cheef With His nation Had Stoped and Intended We Shold Stop With them but the Arropoho Cheef told us We Shold go to His Camp Which We Intend to do but Heare a new diffqualty arises as the Clame us as their frends—Which may lead to a Ware With them and destruction to our Selves but this Was Soon got over as two of our men Stoped with the Kiawa Cheef till He got in a good Hummor and telling Him that He aught to go With us—that it Was Him that left us and not We that left Him—With this He Was Satisfyed and one of the [men] Remained With Him all night and frend Ship Was Restored the Kiawas Came to our Camp as ushal—
16th Decm 1821
the man and load left With the Kiawas Was braught up and no difequality than the Refuse to Sell us Horses Still feering We Will leave them—but to day purchased 2 mules and three Horses from the Arrapohos
17th Decm 1821
the Weather verry much moderated Haveing much the appeerence of the Indean Sommer
more Sevelity Exsists amongst those Indeans than anny I have Ever knone it is de[si]rable on that accoumpt not to Camp Seperate from any of the Bands—but on the other Hand you are Continuly Crouded With young men and old begers—We yet Want about ten Horses—and all tho there is about 20,000 in our inCampment and the [Indians are] distetute of Every thing—We are afraid We Will not be able to obtain them the Arrapohoes Have but few in Compareson With the others owing to their Haveing last Sommer traided With Chians of the mesurey [Missouri]—the Ietan and Kiawa Have great nombers of very fine Horses—and Equal to any I have Ever knone—
18th Decm 1821
about ten oclock last night the Wind Chainged to the West and the Weather Exstreemly Cold So that We Cold not do any thing—We yesterday traided for two Horses and one mule—the Kiawas paid us a viset and Invited us to a feest So We are frends again—
19th Decm 1821
the Cold In Creces So that it Is Imposeble to travel on the Pirarie—the Children Have now fine Sport on the Ice
20 Decm 1821
at day light We Ware alarmed by the Sound of Heavey bloes Struck by one Indean uppon an other Who Run towards our lodge and Was persued with the tamehak at about one Rod distance a blo Was Struck but the Indean Run Round our lodge—but Was overtaken and Receved a Heavey blow on the Back of the neck Which felled Him to the ground apperently dead—but a nomber of Squas Interfeered and Carryed off the Soposed dead Indean and Saved His life—We find Him to be the Son of the Kiawa Cheef and first frend amongst the Indeans His murdorer Was the brother of the great Arrapoho Cheef and our frend and protecter We are now feerful of the most Seerous Consequences as We are not able to Say What may Happen betwen the two nations—as War betwen them Wold be fatel for us
21st Decm 1821
the man Wounded yesterday is not dead and is likely to recover—the Case of the atack on His Was the Steeling the medecen bagg of the other Who Was a Cheef no other difequelty is apprehended as the bagg is Returned and axepted—We have Sucseeded in purchasing as many Horses as Will answer our Purposese of moveing—at night the Snow began to fall—
22nd Decm 1821
the Ietan Cheef Has not viseted us Since He moved up the River in Consequence of not Receveing Some presents He demanded on the day He moved but the Braves appeer friendly this four days We Calcolate on moveing on Crismus day to the mountains no Inter Corse betwen the arrapoho and the Kiawa for two days
23rd Decm 1821
We Informed the Indeans that on the 25th We Wold move to the mountains—at night Indeans Inform us of their detirmenation to move With us—
24th Decm 1821
promising to move the arrapoho determened to acCompany us to night Conl glann Sent for the Kiawa Cheef and paid for the use of His lodge allso gave a meddle the likeness of genl Jacson Informed Him it Was not the medle of His great father but it Was given Him as a token of a great man and as the frend of the White men and Charged Him at the Same time that When Ever He meet the White man to treat Him frendly to Which He agread With great Satisfaction
25th Decm 1821
this morning the Conl gave the Ietan Cheef a shirt medle and Small presents With the Same Cerymones and promeses as the Kiawa yesterday last Evening We Sent for Him but being un Well and unable to Come He Sent His brother by Home [whom] We Sent [word] We Wold viset Him in the morning We found Him very un Well and discovered the Indisposion Was the Caus of His not viseting us Since He moved up the River He Exspresed much frendship and Satisfaction—
the arrapoho move with us this morning.
It is but Justice to Say We find the Kiawa the best Indeans possing more firmness and manly deportment than the arrapoho and less arogance and Hatey Pride than the Ietan—we Ware In vited this day to Eat With one of the arrapoho Cheefs He Seet before us a dish of fat meat of Which We Eat plentyfully We Ware then asked if We new what kind of meat We Ware Eating We told We did not He then Said it Wa[s] a dog telling us it [was] a great feest With the Indeans—and that He Invited us for that purpose—
We move up the River West Eight miles and Camped on the South Side Crossing a fork[72] of the River at five miles this forke is Small and Heads to the South there is Some Cotten Wood a long its bottoms Which appeer to be very Rich and Wide Eknof for farms—the Arrapohos acompany us We Ware fortunate In parting With the Rest of our nibours With out any difequalty—We Have now in all thirty three Horses In Cludeing two belongeing to Peno one to Vanbeber two [to] J and R Fowler and two to Duglass one to Bono all in bad ordor—
26th Decm 1821
moved late In Consequence of lose[ing] Some of our Horses Which Ware not found till late In the day—our Corse South 70 West five miles[73]—We Camped on the South Side of the River to morrow the Indeans make a Hunt
27th Decm 1821
We lay With the Indeans to let our Horses Eat Haveing kept them tyed up Sinc We Started yesterday Pased a [Chico] Crick on the north Side of the River its Corse is [from the] north—
28th Decembr 1821
We moved about 12 oclock and Went five miles up the River and Camped on the South Side Heare is the Statement of Conl glann on parting With the Arrapoho Cheef[74]
I never parted with a man who showed as much sorrow as the chief of the arrapoho He persuaded us very much to stay with him one moon longer—stating to us the danger of having our horses stolen &c &c but finding in the morning we determined to start he made no objection, after giving him a medal &c as I did to the other Chiefs—and making a small present with all of which he was much satisfied when I shook hands with him to start he threw himself on his bed in tears—after traveling about one mile we was overtaken by one of his brothers, a young chief with a request to incamp on this side as his brother was starting to follow so as to sleep one more night with us we are truly fortunate in having those 3 nations with us—
29th Decr
The chief did not arrive last night as he sent us word—but early next morning an express arrived to inform us that instant as he was starting Two spaniards arrived and that a party of 60 were expected to-day with a request for us to return and see them—Mr Roy & myself immediatly returned, and recᵈ with as much Joy and satisfaction by the village as if though we had been absent for one year the friendship which they shew us before the spaniards will convince them that shoᵈ the party expected be hostile we will have the friendship of the Indians and although my party is now only 13 men in all I fele no fear in meeting 60 Spaniards, with the multitude of the Indians.
30th Decr
Yesterday at about 3 Oclock we went out to the Prarie to see if we could discover the spanish party—we discovered them about 5 miles distance, we advanced to meet them—when they discovered us they halted and formed to receive us in “military style”—we were requested by our Companion to Halt, when we were received on a full charge—To within ten paces of us when the men all dismounted and embraced us with affection and friendship—they are all creoles of that country—seem well disposed—possess far less sence than the Indeans we are with, seem happy and possess a greater degree of Joy at seeing us than could be Immagined—It is a matter of astonishment the difference of treatment of the Indians to them and our party—the Indians Commanded them as much as we command our negroes—At night the Indians asked us if we were willing to let the Capt. and his principle man sleep [in] the lodge with us, which we agreed to—the Indeans derected them to pray so that we may see their fashion which they readily agreed to and went through with the Catholic prayers, and afterwards prayed fervently for us—their whole trading equipment in the U. S. would not sell for fifty dollars—In short to describe them would require the pen of a Butler and the pencil of a Hogarth—They leave here to morrow for home and I intend to accompany them—
31st Decr.
It is only necessary to Judge of them to say the Capt. and all his party were painted like the Indians the day they traded—and during the prayer the Capt. Caught a louse on his shirt and eat it—[75]
the Spaniards moved up to our Camp from the Indeans for the purpose of [selling] us Some Corn the no [they know] nothing about our moad of measurement but ask at the Rate of ten dollers pr Bushil the ask thirty dollers for a mule and one Hunderd dollers for ther best Running Horses—We Intend leaveing this With the Spanierds in the morning—
January 1st 1822
this being a holaday With our nibours We lay by all day—Haveing about two pounds of bacon Which I Head kept as a Reserve I Heare Shewd it to the Indeans—the Cheef asked What kind of anemel maid that meat When He Was told a Hog He Requested the Shape of it to be maid on the Sand When that Was [done] all the Indeans said the Head never Seen Such an animal and appeered to Wonder and think it Strange that the Head never Seen the like Soposing them Selves to Have Seen all kind of anemels—