animal noticing nothing but the white rag that had attracted its
attention.

On the afternoon of that day a band of savages, mounted on fine horses,
made their appearance near the camp, and looked upon the white men
with great curiosity. It was soon learned that they were Pawnees,
and with some little trouble they were enticed to come in, and a talk
was had with their leader. They proved to be a party out after some
Osages who had stolen a number of horses. They had been lucky enough
to overtake them, and had killed nearly all the thieves, regained
their horses, and had a number of the enemies' scalps. The Pawnees
had met Captain Lewis the year before, and having received some
presents from him were inclined to regard the whites as a friendly
people. This impression the captain further confirmed by himself
making them gifts of some tobacco and trifling trinkets. They were
shown around the camp, and seemed to sympathize deeply with the
sick man, who was lying on his blankets in a dying condition.
They gathered some roots from the prairie, and assured the captain
that if the man would take them he would certainly recover; they also
urged their manner of sweating and bathing, but the appliances were
not at hand, so the advice had to be declined.[8]

That evening the sick man died; an event that was looked for, but
not so soon. His body was immediately wrapped in his blanket and
deposited in a grave. On the bark of a tree standing near, his name,
"William Hamilton," and the date of his death were rudely carved
with a jack-knife by one of the party.

Early in the morning the occupants of the camp were shocked at the
sight of a pack of wolves most industriously at work on the grave