This was my first sight of the red man. He looked to me to be more
of a black man.

Uncle Kit asked Mr. Hughes what Indians he thought they were. The
reply was that he thought them to be Kiowas, and on coming up to
them the surmise proved to be correct.

They were Black Buffalo, the chief of the Kiowas, and his
daughter, accompanied by twenty warriors.

Black Buffalo, and indeed all the Kiowa tribe, were well
acquainted with Uncle Kit and had great respect for him. So a
general hand-shaking and pow-wow followed.

Carson spoke their language as well as they could, and
consequently had no difficulty conversing with them.

In those days very few Indians knew a word of English,
consequently all conversation with them had to be carried on in
the several tribal languages or dialects, or in the jargon.

This latter was a short language composed of Indian, French and
English words, and was called "Chinook." It originated with the
fur traders of Astoria, Ore., and its growth was assisted by
missionaries, until it became the means of communication between
the whites and the Indians of the coast and interior of the vast
Northwest, and even between Indians whose dialects were unknown to
each other. In short it was a sort of Indian "Volapuk," and was
very easily mastered. There has been a dictionary of it printed,