e frequently passed the figure of a man, drawn on a blazed pine, with
horns, giving the idea of an evil spirit. The occiput of the bear, and
head bones of other animals killed in the chase, are hung upon poles at
the water's side, with some ideographic signs. The antlers of the deer
are conspicuous. Other marks of success in hunting are left on trees, so
that those Indians who pass and are acquainted with the signs, obtain a
species of information. The want of letters is thus, in a manner,
supplied by signs and pictographic symbols.

Late in the afternoon we passed the inlet of the Totogun--one of the
principal forks of the Namakagun. The name is indicative of its origin.
_Totosh_ is the female breast. This term is rendered geographical by
exchanging _sh_ for _gun._ It describes a peculiar kind of soft or
dancing bog. Soon after, we broke our canoe--stopped three-fourths of an
hour to mend it--reached the forks of the St. Croix directly after,
passed down the main channel about nine miles, and encamped a little
below Pine River. We built ten fires to keep off the mosquitoes, and put
our tent and cooking-fire in the centre. It rained during the night.

The next morning (Aug. 1st) we reached the Yellow River, and found the
chiefs Kabamappa, Bwoinace, and their bands awaiting my arrival.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

INCIDENTS ON THE SOURCES OF THE ST. CROIX AND CHIPPEWA RIVERS.

Council with the Indians at Yellow Lake--Policy of the Treaty of Prairie
du Chien of 1825--Speech of Shaiwunegunaibee--Mounds of Yellow
River--Indian manners and customs--Pictography--Natural history--Nude
Indians--Geology--Portage to Lac Courtorielle--Lake of the Isles--Ottawa
Lake--Council--War party--Mozojeed's speech--Tecumseh--Mozojeed's
lodge--Indian movements--Trip to the Red Cedar Fork--Ca Ta--Lake
Chetac--Indian manners.

1831. COUNCIL.--I pitched my tent and erected my flag on an eminence
called by the Chippewas Pe-li-co-gun-au-gun, or The Hip-Bone. Accounts
represented a war party against the Sioux to be organizing at Rice Lake,
on a branch of the Chippewa River, under the lead of Neenaba, a partisan
leader, who had recently visited Yellow River for the purpose of
enlisting volunteers. He had appealed to all the bands on the head
waters of the Chippewa and St. Croix to join, by sending their young men
who were ambitious of fame in this expedition. Neenaba himself was an
approved warrior who panted for glory by leading an attack against thei