or the purpose of fishing.
Their intercourse with the Spaniards is much more rare, and it furnishes
them with a few articles, such as mules, and some bridles, and other
ornaments for horses, which, as well as some of their kitchen utensils,
are also furnished by the bands of Snake Indians from the Yellowstone.
The pearl ornaments which they esteem so highly come from other bands,
whom they represent as their friends and relations, living to the
southwest beyond the barren plains on the other side of the mountains:
these relations they say inhabit a good country, abounding with elk,
deer, bear, and antelope, where horses and mules are much more abundant
than they are here, or to use their own expression, as numerous as the
grass of the plains.

The names of the Indians varies in the course of their life: originally
given in childhood, from the mere necessity of distinguishing objects,
or from some accidental resemblance to external objects, the young
warrior is impatient to change it by some achievement of his own. Any
important event, the stealing of horses, the scalping an enemy, or
killing a brown bear, entitles him at once to a new name which he then
selects for himself, and it is confirmed by the nation. Sometimes the
two names subsist together: thus, the chief Cameahwait, which means,
"one who never walks," has the war name of Tooettecone, or "black gun,"
which he acquired when he first signalized himself. As each new action
gives a warrior a right to change his name, many of them have had
several in the course of their lives. To give to a friend his own name
is an act of high courtesy, and a pledge like that of pulling off the
moccasin of sincerity and hospitality. The chief in this way gave his
name to captain Clarke when he first arrived, and he was afterwards
known among the Shoshonees by the name of Cameahwait.

The diseases incident to this state of life may be supposed to be few,
and chiefly the result of accidents. We were particularly anxious to
ascertain whether they had any knowledge of the venereal disorder. After
inquiring by means of the interpreter and his wife, we learnt that they
sometimes suffered from it, and that they most usually die with it; nor
could we discover what was their remedy. It is possible that this
disease may have reached them in their circuitous communications with
the whites through the intermediate Indians; but the situation of the
Shoshonees is so insulated, that it is not pr