for the hills, but were intercepted and driven back towards the river,
broken and running in every direction. The clouds of dust soon covered the
whole scene, preventing us from having any but an occasional view. It had
a very singular appearance to us at a distance, especially when looking
with the glass. We were too far to hear the report of the guns, or any
sound; and at every instant, through the clouds of dust, which the sun
made luminous, we could see for a moment two or three buffalo dashing
along, and close behind them an Indian with his long spear, or other
weapon, and instantly again they disappeared. The apparent silence, and
the dimly seen figures flitting by with such rapidity, gave it a kind of
dreamy effect, and seemed more like a picture than a scene of real life.
It had been a large herd when the _cerne_ commenced, probably three
or four hundred in number; but, though I watched them closely, I did not
see one emerge from the fatal cloud where the work of destruction was
going on. After remaining here about an hour, we resumed our journey in
the direction of the village.

Gradually, as we rode on, Indian after Indian came dropping along, laden
with meat; and by the time we had neared the lodges, the backward road was
covered with the returning horsemen. It was a pleasant contrast with the
desert road we had been traveling. Several had joined company with us, and
one of the chiefs invited us to his lodge. The village consisted of about
one hundred and twenty-five lodges, of which twenty were Cheyennes; the
latter pitched a little apart from the Arapahoes. They were disposed in a
scattering manner on both sides of a broad, irregular street, about one
hundred and fifty feet wide, and running along the river. As we rode
along, I remarked near some of the lodges a kind of tripod frame, formed
of three slender poles of birch, scraped very clean, to which were affixed
the shield and spear, with some other weapons of a chief. All were
scrupulously clean, the spear-head was burnished bright; and the shield