are conducted very nearly in the same way, except that the men jump up
and down instead of shuffling; and in the war dances the recitations are
all of a military cast. The harmony of the entertainment had nearly been
disturbed by one of the musicians, who thinking he had not received a
due share of the tobacco we had distributed during the evening, put
himself into a passion, broke one of the drums, threw two of them into
the fire, and left the band. They were taken out of the fire: a buffaloe
robe held in one hand and beaten with the other, by several of the
company, supplied the place of the lost drum or tambourin, and no notice
was taken of the offensive conduct of the man. We staid till twelve
o'clock at night, when we informed the chiefs that they must be fatigued
with all these attempts to amuse us, and retired accompanied by four
chiefs, two of whom spent the night with us on board.

While on shore we saw twenty-five squaws, and about the same number of
children, who had been taken prisoners two weeks ago, in a battle with
their countrymen the Mahas. In this engagement the Sioux destroyed forty
lodges, killed seventy-five men, of which we saw many of the scalps, and
took these prisoners; their appearance is wretched and dejected; the
women too seem low in stature, coarse and ugly; though their present
condition may diminish their beauty. We gave them a variety of small
articles, such as awls and needles, and interceded for them with the
chiefs, to whom we recommended to follow the advice of their great
father, to restore the prisoners and live in peace with the Mahas, which
they promised to do.

The tribe which we this day saw, are a part of the great Sioux nation,
and are known by the name of the Teton Okandandas: they are about two
hundred men in number, and their chief residence is on both sides of the
Missouri, between the Chayenne and Teton rivers. In their persons they