G---- damn you--don't you know me?" The sound of his own language seemed
to shock the savage; and, swerving his horse a little, he passed us like
an arrow. He wheeled, as I rode out towards him, and gave me his hand,
striking his breast and exclaiming "Arapaho!" They proved to be a village
of that nation, among whom Maxwell had resided as a trader a year or two
previously, and recognised him accordingly. We were soon in the midst of
the band, answering as well as we could a multitude of questions; of which
the very first was, of what tribe were our Indian companions who were
coming in the rear? They seemed disappointed to know that they were
Cheyennes, for they had fully anticipated a grand dance around a Pawnee
scalp that night.

The chief showed us his village at a grove on the river six miles ahead,
and pointed out a band of buffalo on the other side of the Platte,
immediately opposite us, which he said they were going to surround. They
had seen the band early in the morning from their village, and had been
making a large circuit, to avoid giving them the wind, when they
discovered us. In a few minutes the women came galloping up, astride on
their horses, and naked from their knees down and the hips up. They
followed the men, to assist in cutting up and carrying off the meat.

The wind was blowing directly across the river, and the chief requested us
to halt where we were for awhile, in order to avoid raising the herd. We
therefore unsaddled our horses, and sat down on the bank to view the
scene; and our new acquaintances rode a few hundred yards lower down, and
began crossing the river. Scores of wild-looking dogs followed, looking
like troops of wolves, and having, in fact, but very little of the dog in
their composition. Some of them remained with us, and I checked one of the
men, whom I found aiming at one, which he was about to kill for a wolf.
The day had become very hot. The air was clear, with a very slight breeze;