har villages, again disappear, and do not approach it till the Cobalt bluffs, about forty-four miles from the vil lages, and then from those bluffs to the Yellowstone river, a distance of about one thousand miles, they follow the banks of the river with scarcely any deviation.

From the James river the lower grounds are confined within a narrow space by the hills on both sides, which now continue near each other up to the mountains. The space between them however varies from one to three miles as high as the Muscleshell river, from which the hills approach so high as to leave scarcely any low grounds on the river, and near the Falls reach the water's edge. Beyond the Falls the hills are scattered, and low to the first range of mountains.

The soil during the whole length of the Missouri below the Platte is, gene-, raily speaking, very fine, and although the timber is scarce, there is still sufficient for the purposes of settlers. But beyond that river, although the soil is still rich, yet the almost total absence of timber, and particularly the want of good water, of which there is but a small quantity in the creeks, and even that brackish, oppose power ful obstacles to its settlement. The difficulty becomes still greater between the Muscleshell river and the Falls, where, besides the greater scarcity of timber, the country itself is less fertile.

The elevation of these highlands, varies as they pass through this extensive tract of country. From Wood river they are about one hundred and. fifty feet above the water, and continue at that height till they rise near the Osage, from which place to the ancient fortification they again diminish in size. Thence they continue higher. till the Mandan village, after which they are rather lower till the neighbourhood of Muscleshell river, where they are met by the Northern hills, which have advanced at a more uniform height, varying from one hundred and fifty to two hundred or three hundred feet. From this place to the mountains the height of both is nearly the same, from three hundred to five hundred feet, and the low grounds so narrow that the traveller seems passing through a range of high country. From Maria's river to the Falls the hills descend to the MONTHLY Mag. No. 257.

597

height of about two or three hundred feet.

EASY PARTURITION.

One of the women who had been leading two of our packhorses halted at a rivulet about a mile behind, and sent on the two horses by a female friend d; on enquiring of Cameahwait the cause of her detention, he answered, with great appearance of unconcern, that she had just stopped to lie. in, but would soon overtake us. fact we were astonished to see her in about an hour's time come on with her new-born infant and pass us on her way to the camp, apparently in perfect health.

In

This wonderful facility with which the Indian women bring forth their children seems rather some benevolent gift of nature, in exempting them from pains which their savage state would render doubly grievous, than any result of habit. If, as has been ima gined, a pure dry air, or a cold and elevated country, are obstacles to easy delivery, every difficult incident to that operation might be expected in this part of the continent; nor can another reason, the habit of carrying heavy burthens during pregnancy, be at all applicable to the Shoshonee women, who rarely carry any burdens, since their nation possesses an abundance of horses. We have indeed been several times informed by those conversant with Indian manners, and who asserted their knowledge of the fact, that Indian women pregnant by white men experience more difficulty in childbirth than when the father is an Indian. If this account be true it may contribute to strengthen the belief, that the easy delivery of the Indian women is wholly constitutional.

THE SHOSHONEES WOMEN.

A pleurality of wives is very common; but these are not generally sisters, as among the Minnetarees and Mandans, but are purchased of different fathers. The infant daughters are often betrothed by their father to men who are grown, either for themselves or for their sons, for whom they are desirous of providing wives. The compensation to the father is usually made in horses or mules; and the girl remains with her parents till the age of puberty, which is thirteen or fourteen, when she is surrendered to her husband. At the same time the fa ther often makes a present to the hus 3 ki

band

band equal to what he had formerly received as the price of his daughter, though this return is optional with her parent. Sacajawea had been contracted in this way before she was taken prisoner, and when we brought her back her betrothed was still living Although he was double the age of Sacajawea, and had two other wives, he claimed her; but, on finding that she had a child by her new husband, Chaboneau, he relinquished his pretensions, and said he did, not want her.

In their domestic economy the man is equally sovereign. The man is the sole proprietor of his wives and daughters, and can barter them away, or dispose of them in any manner he may think proper. The children are seldum corrected; the boys, particularly, soon become their own masters; they are never whipped, for they say that it breaks their spirit, and that after being flogged they never recover their independence of mind, even when they grow to manhood.

The mass of the females are condemned, as among all savage nations, to the lowest and most laborious drudgery. When the tribe is stationary they collect the roots, and cook; they build the huts, dress the skins, and make clothing; collect the wood, and assist in taking care of the horses on the route; they load the horses and have the charge of all the baggage.

THE SHOSHONEES MEN.

The only business of the man is to fight; he therefore takes on himself the care of his horse, the companion of his warfare; but he will descend to no other labour than to hunt and to fish. He would consider himself degraded by being compelled to walk any distance; and were he so poor as to possess only two horses, he would ride the best of them, and leave the other for his wives and children and their baggage; and if he has too many wives or too much baggage for the horse, the wives have no alternative but to follow him on foot; they are not however often reduced to those extremities, for their stock of horses is very ample.

As war is the chief occupation, bravery is the first virtue among the Shoshonees. None can hope to be distinguished without having given proofs of it, nor can there be any preferment, or influence among the nation, without some warlike achievement. Those important events which give reputa

THEIR PERSONS.

The Shoshonees are of a diminutive stature, with thick flat feet and ancles, crooked legs, and are, generally speak ing, worse formed than any nation of Indians we have seen. The hair of both sexes is suffered to fall loosely over the face and down the shoulders; some men, however, divide it by means of thongs of dressed leather or otter skin into two equal queues,which hang over the ears and are drawn in front of the body; but, at the present moment, when the nation is afflicted by the loss of so many relations killed in war, most of them have the hair cut quite short in the neck, and Cameahwait has the hair cut short all over his head, this being the customary mourning for a deceased kindred.

THE CHOPUNNISH INDIANS.

The Chopunnish or Pierced-nose nation, who reside on the Koosko@skee and Lewis's rivers, are in persons stout, portly, well-looking men: the women are small, with good features, and generally handsome, though the complexion of both sexes is darker, than that of the Tushepaws. In dress they resemble that nation, being fond of displaying their ornaments. The buffaloe or elk-skin robe decorated with beads, sea-shells, chiefly motherof-pearl, attached to an otter-skin collar, and hung in the hair, which falls in front in two queues ; feathers, paints of different kinds, principally white, green, and light blue, all of which they find in their own country: these are the chief ornaments they use. the winter they wear a short shirt of dressed skins, long painted leggings and moccasins, and a plait of twisted grass round the neck.

In

The

The dress of the women is more simple, consisting of a long shirt of argalia or ibex skin, reaching down to the ankles without a girdle: to this are tied little pieces of brass and shells and other small articles; but the head is not at all ornamented. The dress of the female is indeed more modest, and more studiously so than any we have observed, though the other sex is careless of the indelicacy of exposure.

The Chopunnish have very few amusements, for their life is painful and laborious; and all their exertions are necessary to earn even their precarious subsistence. During the summer and autumn they are busily occu pied in fishing for salmon, and collect ing their winter store of roots. In the winter they hunt the deer on snowshoes over the plains, and towards spring cross the mountains to the Mis. souri for the purpose of trafficking for buffaloe robes. The inconveniences of that comfortless life are increased by frequent encounters with their enemies from the west, who drive them over the mountains with the loss of their horses, and sometimes the lives of many of the nation.

They are generally healthy-the only disorders which we have had occasion to remark being of a scrophulous kind, and for these, as well as for the amusement of those who are in good health, hot and cold bathing is very commonly used.

THE SOKULKS.

The nation among which we now are call themselves Sokulks; and with them are united a few of another nation, who reside on a western branch, emptying itself into the Columbia, a few miles above the mouth of the latter river, and whose name is Chimnapum. The languages of these nations, of each of which we obtained a vocabulary, differ but little from each other, or from that of the Chopun nish, who inhabit the Kooskooskee and Lewis's river. In their dress and general appearance also they resemble much those nations; the men wearing a robe of deer or antelope skin, under which a few of them have a short leathern shirt. The most striking dif. ference between them is among the fe males, the Sokulk women being more inclined to corpulency than any we have yet seen; their stature is low, their faces broad, and their heads flattened in such a manner that the forehead is in a straight line from the

590

nose to the crown of the head; their eyes are of a dirty sable, their hair too is coarse and black, and braided as above without ornament of any kind; instead of wearing, as do the Chopunnish, long leathern shirts, highly deCorated with beads and shells, the Sokulk females have no other covering but a truss or piece of leather tied round the hips, and then drawn tight between the legs. The ornaments usually worn by both sexes are large blue or white beads, either pendant from their ears, or round their necks, wrists, and arms; they have likewise bracelets of brass, copper, and horn, and some trinkets of shells, fish bones, and curious feathers. The houses of the Sokulks are made of large mats of rushes, and are generally of a square or oblong form, varying in length from fifteen to sixty feet, and supported in the inside by poles or forks about six feet high; the top is covered with mats, leaving a space of twelve or fif teen inches, the whole length of the house, for the purpose of admitting the light and suffering the smoke to pass through the roof is nearly flat, which seems to indicate that rains are not common in this open country, and the house is not divided into apartments, the fire being in the middle of the large room, and immediately under the hole in the roof: the rooms are or namented with their nets, gigs, and other fishing tackle, as well as the bow for each inhabitant, and a large qui. ver of arrows, which are headed with flint and stones.

The Sokulks seem to be of a mild and peaceable disposition, and live in a state of comparative happiness. The men, like those on the Kimooenim, are said to content themselves with a single wife, with whom we observe the husband shares the labours of procuring subsistence much more than is usual among savages. What may be considered as an unequivocal proof of their good disposition is the great respect which was shown to old age. Among other marks of it we observed in one of the houses an old woman perfectly blind, and who we were inform ́ed had lived more than a hundred winters. In this state of decrepitude she occupied the best position in the house, seemed to be treated with great kindness, and whatever she said was listened to with much attention. They are by no means intrusive, and as their fisheries supply them with a compe

tent,

tent, if not an abundant subsistence, although they receive thankfully whatever we choose to give, they do not importune us by begging. The fish is, indeed, their chief food, except the roots, and the casual supplies of the antelope, which, to those who have only bows and arrows, must be very scanty. This diet may be the direct or the remote cause of the chief disor der which prevails among them, as well as among the Flatheads, on the Kooskooskee and Lewis's river. With all these Indians a bad soreness of the eyes is a very common disorder, which is suffered to ripen by neglect, till many are deprived of one of their eyes, and some have totally lost the use of both. This dreadful calamity may reasonably, we think, be imputed to the constant reflection of the sun on the waters where they are continually fishing in the spring, summer and fall, and during the rest of the year on the snows of a country which affords no object to relieve the sight. Among the Sokulks too, and indeed among all the tribes whose chief subsistence is fish, we have observed that bad teeth are very general; some have the teeth, particularly those of the upper jaw, worn down to the gums, and many of both sexes, and even of middle age, have lost them almost entirely. This decay of the teeth is a circumstance very unusual among the Indians, either of the mountains or the plains, and seems peculiar to the inhabitants of the Columbia. We cannot avoid regarding, as one principal cause of it, the manner in which they eat their food. The roots are swallowed as they are dug from the ground, frequently nearly covered with a gritty sand; so little idea have they that this is offensive, that all the roots they offer us for sale are in the same condition. A second and a principal cause may be their great use of the dried salmon, the bad effects of which are most probably increased by their mode of cooking it, which is simply to warm, and then swallow the rind, scales, and flesh, without any preparation. The Sokulks possess but few horses, the greater part of their labours being performed in canoes. Their amusements are similar to those of the Missouri Indians.

BLUE BEADS.

Towards evening seven Clatsops came over in a canoe with two skins of the sea-otter. To this article they at

tách an extravagant value, and their demands for it were so high that we were fearful of reducing our small stock of merchandise, on which we must depend for subsistence as we return, to venture on purchasing. To ascertain however their ideas as to the value of different objects, we offered for one of the skins a warch, a handkerchief, an American dollar, and a bunch of red beads; but neither the curious mechanism of the watch, nor even the red beads, could tempt him; he refused the offer, but asked for tiacomoshack, or chief beads, the most common sort of coarse blue coloured beads, the article beyond all price in their estimation.

FLEAS.

The fleas which annoyed us near the portage of the Great Falls, have taken such possession of our clothes, that we are obliged to have a regular search every day through our blankets as a necessary preliminary to sleeping at night. These animals indeed are so numerous that they are almost a calamity to the Indians of this country. When they have once obtained the mastery of any house it is impossible to expel them, and the Indians have, frequently different houses, to which they resort occasionally when the fleas have rendered their permanent residence intolerable; yet in spite of these precautions every Indian is constantly attended by multitudes of them, and no one comes into our houses without leaving behind him swarms of these tormenting insects.

THE CHINNOOKS ON THE PACIFIC.

The men are low in stature, rather ugly, and ill made; their legs being small and crooked, their feet large, and their heads, like those of the women, flattened in a most disgusting manner. These deformities are in part concealed by robes made of sea-otter, deer, elk, beaver, or fox skins. They also employ in their dress robes of the skin of a cat peculiar to this country, and of another animal of the same size, which is light and durable, and sold at a high price by the Indians, who bring it from above. In addition to these are worn blankets, wrappers of red, blue, or spotted cloth, and some sailors' old clothes, which were very highly prized. The greater part of the men have guns, powder, and ball.

The women have in general handsome faces, but are low and dispro portioned

portioned, with small feet and large legs and thighs, occasioned, probably, by strands of beads, or various strings, drawn so tight above the ankles as to prevent the circulation of the blood. Their dress, like that of the Wahkiacums, consists of a short robe, and a tissue of cedar bark. Their hair hangs Joosely down the shoulders and back; and their ears, neck, and wrists, are ornamented with blue beads. Another decoration, which is very highly prized, consists of figures, made by puncturing the arms or legs; and on the arm of one of the squaws we observed the name of J. Bowman, exe. cuted in the same way. In language, habits, and in almost every other particular, they resemble the Clatsops, Cathlamahs, and indeed all the people near the mouth of the Columbia.

TRIBES ON THE PACIFIC.

To the south our personal observation has not extended beyond the Killamucks; but we obtained from those who were acquainted with the seacoast a list of the Indian tribes, in the order in which they succeed each other, to a considerable distance. The first nation to the south are the Clatsops, who reside on the southern side of the bay, and along the sea-coast, on both sides of point Adams. They are represented as the remains of a much larger nation; but about four years ago a disorder, to which till then they were strangers, but which seems, from their description, to have been the small-pox, destroyed four chiefs, and several hundreds of the nation.-Next to them, along the south-east coast, is a much larger nation, the Killamucks, who number fifty houses, and a thousand souls..

Adjoining the Killamucks, and in a direction S.S.E. are the Lucktons, a small tribe inhabiting the sea-coast. They speak the same language as the Killamucks, but do not belong to the same nation. The same observation applies to the Kahuokle nation, their immediate neighbours, who are supposed to consist of about four hundred souls.

The Lickawis, a still more nume. rous nation, who have a large town of eight hundred souls.

The Youkone nation, who live in very large houses, and number seven hundred souls.

The Necketo nation, of the same number of persons.

601 The Ulseah nation, a small town of one hundred and fifty souls.

The Youitts, a tribe who live in a small town, containing not more than one hundred and fifty souls.

The Shiastuckle nation, who have a large town of nine hundred souls.

The Killawats nation, of five hun dred souls collected into one large

town.

With this last nation ends the language of the Killamucks; and the coast, which then turns towards the south-west, is occupied by nations whose languages vary from that of the Killamucks, and from each other. Of these the first in order are,

The Cookoose, a large nation of one thousand five hundred souls, inhabit. ing the shore of the Pacific and the neighbouring mountains. We have seen several of this nation, who were taken prisoners by the Clatsops and Killamucks. Their complexion was much fairer than that of the Indians near the mouth of the Columbia, and their heads were not flattened. Next to these are,

The Shalalahs, of whom we know nothing, except their numbers, which are computed at twelve hundred souls. Then follow,

The Luckasos, of about the same number, and

The Hannakalals, whom we estimate at six hundred souls.

This is the extent of the Indian information, and judging, as we can do, with considerable accuracy, from the number of sleeps, or days' journey, the distance which these tribes occupy along the coast may be estimated at three hundred and sixty miles.

On the north of the Columbia we have already seen the Chinnooks, of four hundred souls, along the shores of Haley's bay, and the low grounds on Chinnook river. Their nearest neighbours to the north-east are,

The Killaxthokle, a small nation on the coast, of not more than eight houses, and a hundred souls. Tothèse succeed

The Chilts, who reside above Point Lewis, and who are estimated at seven hundred souls, and thirty-eight houses. Of this nation we saw, transiently, a few among the Chinnooks, from whom they did not appear to differ. Beyond the Chilts we have seen none of the north-west Indians, and all that we learnt consisted of an enumeration of