oduced this disease
amongst them, and threatened to kill them all, at the same time
observing, that they would not hurt him, but send him home down the
Missouri. When their relations, or children of whom they are
passionately fond, were sick, they were almost constantly addressing
their manitou drumming, and making a great noise; and at the same time
they sprinkled them with water where they complained of pain. And when
the interpreter was sick, they were perpetually wanting to drum and
conjure him well. He spoke to them of that God and Saviour whom white
people adore; but they called him a fool, saying that he never came to
their country, or did any thing for them, "_So vain were they in
their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened._"

JAN. 30.--We left Qu'appelle to return to the colony, and stopped for
the night at an encampment of Indians, some of whom were engaged as
hunters for the company. They welcomed me with much cordiality to their
wigwams. We smoked the calumet as a token of friendship; and a
plentiful supply of buffaloe tongues was prepared for supper. I slept
in one of their tents, wrapt in a buffaloe robe, before a small fire in
the centre, but the wind drawing under it, I suffered more from cold
than when I slept in an open encampment. As we were starting the next
morning I observed a fine looking little boy standing by the side of
the cariole, and told his father that if he would send him to me at the
Settlement by the first opportunity, I would be as a parent to him,
clothe him, and feed him, and teach him what I knew would be for his
happiness, with the Indian boys I had already under my care. We
proceeded, and after we had travelled about three hours, the whole
scene around us was animated with buffaloes; so numerous, that there
could not be less, I apprehend, than ten thousand, in different bands,
at one time in our view. It took us nearly the whole day to cross the
plain, before we came to any wood for the night. We resumed our journey
at the dawn of the following morning, and after travelling about three
hours we stopped at a small creek to breakfast: as soon as we had
kindled the fire, two Indians made their appearance, and pointing to
the willows, shewed me a buffaloe that they had just shot. They were
very expert in cutting up the animal, and ate some of the fat, I
observed, with a few choice pieces, in a raw state. Soon afterwards I
saw another Indian peeping over an eminence, whos