f leggings and mocassins; leaving me
naked to the waist. Producing a number of little packets containing
pigments of various colors, he commenced operations by painting my face,
neck and breast blood red, and my arms and the rest of my person that
was exposed in alternate bands of black and yellow. Upon my breast he
delineated with considerable skill the figure of a grizzly bear; upon my
forehead a star, and across my face narrow stripes of black. My arms he
encircled with black and white rings at regular intervals, and then
laying aside his colors, held up before me a small mirror, that I might
view the picture I presented. My contemplation of myself satisfied me
that I made about as hideous looking a savage as any in the village--but
of that the reader can judge for himself from the accompanying picture,
which is a very accurate representation of me as I then appeared.
Hissodecha finished his work by saturating my hair, which reached nearly
to my waist, with a mixture of oil and some black coloring, which
rendered my appearance more savage then ever. He then bound about my
head a narrow fillet or band of scarlet cloth, and placed in it two
feathers or plumes stained blue. He then stood off and viewed me for a
moment, and pronounced my toilet complete, with the exception of a few
ornaments. These he soon provided in the shape of a pair of bracelets of
roughly beaten gold. My necklace of silver, which Wakometkla had placed
upon my neck when he first took me in charge, I still wore, and the
renegade, surveying his work with some complacency, remarked that no
young brave of the party would present a finer or more warlike
appearance from the Indian point of view than myself. He then presented
me with a fine _serape_ for protection against the weather, and advising
me to get what sleep I could, dismissed me for the night, bidding me lie
down in his lodge upon some skins. My excitement, however, was so great,
that I found it impossible to sleep, I was impatient for the dawn, that
I might be in motion, and leaving my hated valley prison, as I fondly
hoped, for the last time.

The hours dragged wearily away, and it seemed as if the morning would
never come; but at last a faint glimmer of light in the east showed that
the time for action had come. I started up, and taking my simple horse
furniture, made my way to where the horses were picketed. I found many
of the warriors already astir and lending their horses to the water.
Jo