We purchased yesterday With $150 in goods and He In Joyed one night
of liberty a Hapey Chaing from that of a Slave to an Indean—but
unfortnetly—at day light this morning the goods Ware Returned and the
Prisnor taken back to His formor master again—but We Will Spair no
means in our power [to] Releve Him again and Send Him out of their Reech
this man is from the Southern Provence near St Antoni[68] With Which
the Indeans are at War—tho at Peece With new maxeco and the Spanish in
Habetance there—We Have been viseted by Some of the Spanish Indeans from
maxeco the live in the vilege of Tows[69]—its Six days Easey travel from
Heare—the are all Catholicks the Indeans Inform us that there are White
men near the great [Pike’s] Peak of the mountain on the River Platt—and
three days Hard travel from this place—
on the night of the 23rd a Snow fell about one foot deep and the Weather
is now Cold the River frosen up the Ice a great thickness and the Indean
Children that is able to walk and up to tall boys are out on the Ice
by day light and all as naked as the Came to the World Heare the are
at all kinds of Sport Which their Setuation Will admit and all tho the
frost is very seveer the apper quite Warm and a lively as I Heave Ever
Seen Children In mid Summer I am shure that We Have Seen more than one
thousand of these Children on the Ice at one time and Some that Ware too
young to Walk Ware taken by the larger ones and Soot on a pece of skin on
the Ice and In this Setuation kick its [legs] Round and Hollow and laff
at those Round it at play—I have no doupt but that to take one of our
White Children and Put it In Such Cold Weather in that Setuation it Cold
not live Half an Hour on the 23rd four Ietan Indeans arrive With the news
of Peace being maid With the osages by the Big Cheefs below—
five days before our arival at this place a battle Was faught Near
the mountains betwen those Indeans and the Crows in which the formor
lost nine men and the latter fifteen—amongest the arrapohoes In this
Ingagement there Was one young Warear that about two years ago Was
Shot threw the boddey and all the Skin taken off His Head down to His
Ears for a scelp—and in the last battle Was Shot threw one of His feet
Which Is now getting Well—and on this [occasion] an alarm Was Raised
of a War party apoching Camp When this man With His father Was amongst
the foremost on Hors back to meet danger—but the alarm Was With[out]
foundation and all Returned to Camp With[out] a fight
the Kiawa Cheef Reported to us that He Head ben In Council all day on the
23rd With the Ietan Who proposed to Him to Join In a War against osages
and the White men—to Which He disagread—dureing the Hole of that day
the Ietan manefested a very unfriendly dispsetion to Wards us—and the
Princeple Cheefs Informed us that When mager longe[70] Was there He told
them that the Predesent Wold Send them plenty of goods and that the goods
We Head Ware Sent to Him and that We Head no Wright to traid them but
When He discovered that His demands Wold not be Complyed With Chainged
His disposetion and Seems very frendly and this night offered Conl glann
and Mr Roy Each one of His Wifes—the greates token of frendship those
Indeans Can offer—but the offer Was de Clined telling Him that it Was not
the White mans Habits
26th nov 1821
We moved one mile down the River to take a better Camp and Build a house
and git of of being so Crouded—the Ietan and Some of the Kiawa threatned
to stop us but maid no atempt When We Started. We maid our Camp With the
old Kiawa Cheef Who moved along With us Heare We Have plenty of young
Cotten Wood trees to Cut for the Horses—With good Setuation for our Camp—
27th nov 1821
Early this morning Was advised of thretned atack from the Ietan and the
Kiawa and Padduce Indeans in Consequnce of our moveing from their nibor
Hood Set the hands at Work Cutting logs to build a House—a Report Came
that the Ietans Had mounted Horses to atack us—We Continued at Work on
a House—and Was Informed that a party to Protect us Head met the others
and turned them back—the Arrapohos about day light this morning Commenced
moveing to us and by night from two to three Hunderd lodges Ware Round
us as Close as the Cold Set up their lodges Which Seemed to afford ample
protection from the others
between 12 & 1 oclock We Received a veset from the Ietan Cheef the first
time He Came near us Since We moved He Was very frendly and Efected
to know nothing of the difecuealty that had Existed—We Have Heare now
about seven Hunderd lodges of the nations mentioned on the 25th With the
addicion of the Cheans—about two Hunderd lodges—We Sopose those Lodges to
Contain from twelve to twenty pursons of all Sises—Some Horses Have been
Stollen Every night Since We arived amongst them Seven of our own are
amongst the mising a party of one Hunderd and fifty men Went In pursute
of the theefs but Returned Without overtakeing them—We Ware this day much
afected by the arivel of Findley Who Head been absent from us 30 days
alone and on foot He informed us that Ware parteys of Pannees Ware both
behind and before Him tho He seen none—
28th nov 1821
about 10 oClock a party of 200 men Started the diferent nations to
Reinforce a party gon before them In pursute of Stolen Horses With
orders to Pursu till the Caught them—the Indeans manefest a more frendly
disposion and Intimate an Intention of moveing down the River In
Consequance of the many Horses Stolen from them Heare—betwen 4 and 500
Horses Have [been] Stolen from them Since We arived and mostly from the
Pens in the Center of the vilege surrounded by upwards of seven Hunderd
lodges of Wachfull Indeans—the Ware Parties Returned Without Efecting any
thing Except those on foot Wore the Soles off their mockesons—
29th nov 1821
the Snow Has Intirely disappeered and the ground dry as dust—
the Remainder of the War partey Have all Returned
on our Way up the River before our arivel at the Indeans Camp I broke
one of the glasses out of my Specks—and on puting them on one day I soon
felt the Hand of an Indean grasp them from my face He maid off as fast
as poseble I gave up the Specks for lost but Head no moad of Replaceing
them—In a Short time I Heard great Shouting and laffing and looking to
See What Was the Caus I discovered the Indean that Head taken my Specks
Leading an other With the Specks on His face the felow Was Led up to me
and I was shoon that He Head but on Eye—and that the Specks Wold Sute Him
better [than] me as the Head but one glass Heare Eanded the Joack the
Returned the Specks in much good Humor amongst all the Ware present
30th november 1821
Pased this day With out any diffigualty Prepareing Some Hunters to trap
in the mountains.
1st Decembr 1821
fine Weather nothing new—
2nd norr [Dec.] 1821
an alarm of the Enemy found two of the Horses Soposed to be stolen—the
Ietan braught them In—the Hunters detained on act of an alarm—
3rd Decmbr 1821
Started the trappers under the Command of Slover—and With Him
Simpson—maxwell—Pryer Findley and Taylor
4th Decmbr 1821
Fine Weather for the Season this day termenated Without any
difegualty—the Ietan Cheef Sick Sent for Conl glann to give Some medeson
but declined In consequance of His former bad Conduct
6th Decm 1821
Fine Weather the Indeans talk of moveing the Buffelow are now drove to
Some distance and this I [is] not to [be] thought Straing as about one
Hunderd of them are Eaten In Camp Each day Sinc our aRivel
7th Decm 1821
Fine Weather—nothing new to day
8th Decm 1821
the morning fine Weather the Indeans Still talk of moving but as yet
Remain Heare—the furnish [us] With Plenty of the best of buffelow meet at
a low Rate bu do not Wish us to Hunt them our Selves—aledgeing We Wold
drive the Buffelow all off the Ietan Cheef Calling fore Some medecon a
day or two back and find[ing] His Complaint Was not dangerous Conl glann
gave Him Some Rice and Black Pepper With derections to boil and make soop
of it—to day He paid us a viset Pufed up and Well as Ever the Arrapoho
Cheef Says He Was Restored to Health by the Same medeson—
9th Decmbr 1821
Fine Weather Continues—yesterday gave notice that Some Horses Wold be
purchased but none Has maid their appeerence—
10th Decm 1821
yesterday purchased one very fine Hors from an Ietan at a High Price—the
Weather fine this morning but the Wind from N W no more Horses offered
this day—
11th
last night Was Clouday the River is now oppen Haveing thad [thawed] in
the those last Warm days—the Weather is now Colder
12th Decm 1821
the Cold Weather Still Continues but the River is not frosen up yesterday
a War partey Returned the Ware of the Ietans—With 28 Horses taken from
the Crows on the River Platt below the mountains—the Ware five nights
Returning the Ietans this day moved up the River We Ware unable to by any
more Horses tho We offered High Prices
13th Decm 1821
last night the River frose up the Weather is very Cold the Indeans
determen to move up the River for Wood and meet We offerd to go With them
on the 15th Which Satisfyed them very much and they offered us Horses to
Carry our goods but unable to make any more purchases for feer We leave
them a the [as they] appeer much atached to us
14th Decmbr 1821
the Indeans Exspect to meet the Spanyerds on the River above this place
to traid With them this morning We Commenced packing up to move—
15th Decm 1821
the Indeans furnished us With Some Horses Which Inabled us to move With
them up the River about five miles[71] West from our Camp and Heare
Camped on the South Side of the River—but about one mile below Wheare We
Camped the Kiawa Cheef With His nation Had Stoped and Intended We Shold
Stop With them but the Arropoho Cheef told us We Shold go to His Camp
Which We Intend to do but Heare a new diffqualty arises as the Clame us
as their frends—Which may lead to a Ware With them and destruction to our
Selves but this Was Soon got over as two of our men Stoped with the Kiawa
Cheef till He got in a good Hummor and telling Him that He aught to go
With us—that it Was Him that left us and not We that left Him—With this
He Was Satisfyed and one of the [men] Remained With Him all night and
frend Ship Was Restored the Kiawas Came to our Camp as ushal—
16th Decm 1821
the man and load left With the Kiawas Was braught up and no difequality
than the Refuse to Sell us Horses Still feering We Will leave them—but to
day purchased 2 mules and three Horses from the Arrapohos
17th Decm 1821
the Weather verry much moderated Haveing much the appeerence of the
Indean Sommer
more Sevelity Exsists amongst those Indeans than anny I have Ever knone
it is de[si]rable on that accoumpt not to Camp Seperate from any of the
Bands—but on the other Hand you are Continuly Crouded With young men and
old begers—We yet Want about ten Horses—and all tho there is about 20,000
in our inCampment and the [Indians are] distetute of Every thing—We are
afraid We Will not be able to obtain them the Arrapohoes Have but few in
Compareson With the others owing to their Haveing last Sommer traided
With Chians of the mesurey [Missouri]—the Ietan and Kiawa Have great
nombers of very fine Horses—and Equal to any I have Ever knone—
18th Decm 1821
about ten oclock last night the Wind Chainged to the West and the Weather
Exstreemly Cold So that We Cold not do any thing—We yesterday traided for
two Horses and one mule—the Kiawas paid us a viset and Invited us to a
feest So We are frends again—
19th Decm 1821
the Cold In Creces So that it Is Imposeble to travel on the Pirarie—the
Children Have now fine Sport on the Ice
20 Decm 1821
at day light We Ware alarmed by the Sound of Heavey bloes Struck by one
Indean uppon an other Who Run towards our lodge and Was persued with the
tamehak at about one Rod distance a blo Was Struck but the Indean Run
Round our lodge—but Was overtaken and Receved a Heavey blow on the Back
of the neck Which felled Him to the ground apperently dead—but a nomber
of Squas Interfeered and Carryed off the Soposed dead Indean and Saved
His life—We find Him to be the Son of the Kiawa Cheef and first frend
amongst the Indeans His murdorer Was the brother of the great Arrapoho
Cheef and our frend and protecter We are now feerful of the most Seerous
Consequences as We are not able to Say What may Happen betwen the two
nations—as War betwen them Wold be fatel for us
21st Decm 1821
the man Wounded yesterday is not dead and is likely to recover—the Case
of the atack on His Was the Steeling the medecen bagg of the other Who
Was a Cheef no other difequelty is apprehended as the bagg is Returned
and axepted—We have Sucseeded in purchasing as many Horses as Will answer
our Purposese of moveing—at night the Snow began to fall—
22nd Decm 1821
the Ietan Cheef Has not viseted us Since He moved up the River in
Consequence of not Receveing Some presents He demanded on the day He
moved but the Braves appeer friendly this four days We Calcolate on
moveing on Crismus day to the mountains no Inter Corse betwen the
arrapoho and the Kiawa for two days
23rd Decm 1821
We Informed the Indeans that on the 25th We Wold move to the mountains—at
night Indeans Inform us of their detirmenation to move With us—
24th Decm 1821
promising to move the arrapoho determened to acCompany us to night Conl
glann Sent for the Kiawa Cheef and paid for the use of His lodge allso
gave a meddle the likeness of genl Jacson Informed Him it Was not the
medle of His great father but it Was given Him as a token of a great man
and as the frend of the White men and Charged Him at the Same time that
When Ever He meet the White man to treat Him frendly to Which He agread
With great Satisfaction
25th Decm 1821
this morning the Conl gave the Ietan Cheef a shirt medle and Small
presents With the Same Cerymones and promeses as the Kiawa yesterday last
Evening We Sent for Him but being un Well and unable to Come He Sent His
brother by Home [whom] We Sent [word] We Wold viset Him in the morning We
found Him very un Well and discovered the Indisposion Was the Caus of His
not viseting us Since He moved up the River He Exspresed much frendship
and Satisfaction—
the arrapoho move with us this morning.
It is but Justice to Say We find the Kiawa the best Indeans possing more
firmness and manly deportment than the arrapoho and less arogance and
Hatey Pride than the Ietan—we Ware In vited this day to Eat With one of
the arrapoho Cheefs He Seet before us a dish of fat meat of Which We Eat
plentyfully We Ware then asked if We new what kind of meat We Ware Eating
We told We did not He then Said it Wa[s] a dog telling us it [was] a
great feest With the Indeans—and that He Invited us for that purpose—
We move up the River West Eight miles and Camped on the South Side
Crossing a fork[72] of the River at five miles this forke is Small and
Heads to the South there is Some Cotten Wood a long its bottoms Which
appeer to be very Rich and Wide Eknof for farms—the Arrapohos acompany
us We Ware fortunate In parting With the Rest of our nibours With out
any difequalty—We Have now in all thirty three Horses In Cludeing two
belongeing to Peno one to Vanbeber two [to] J and R Fowler and two to
Duglass one to Bono all in bad ordor—
26th Decm 1821
moved late In Consequence of lose[ing] Some of our Horses Which Ware not
found till late In the day—our Corse South 70 West five miles[73]—We
Camped on the South Side of the River to morrow the Indeans make a Hunt
27th Decm 1821
We lay With the Indeans to let our Horses Eat Haveing kept them tyed up
Sinc We Started yesterday Pased a [Chico] Crick on the north Side of the
River its Corse is [from the] north—
28th Decembr 1821
We moved about 12 oclock and Went five miles up the River and Camped on
the South Side Heare is the Statement of Conl glann on parting With the
Arrapoho Cheef[74]
I never parted with a man who showed as much sorrow as the chief of
the arrapoho He persuaded us very much to stay with him one moon
longer—stating to us the danger of having our horses stolen &c &c but
finding in the morning we determined to start he made no objection, after
giving him a medal &c as I did to the other Chiefs—and making a small
present with all of which he was much satisfied when I shook hands with
him to start he threw himself on his bed in tears—after traveling about
one mile we was overtaken by one of his brothers, a young chief with a
request to incamp on this side as his brother was starting to follow so
as to sleep one more night with us we are truly fortunate in having those
3 nations with us—
29th Decr
The chief did not arrive last night as he sent us word—but early next
morning an express arrived to inform us that instant as he was starting
Two spaniards arrived and that a party of 60 were expected to-day with
a request for us to return and see them—Mr Roy & myself immediatly
returned, and recᵈ with as much Joy and satisfaction by the village as if
though we had been absent for one year the friendship which they shew us
before the spaniards will convince them that shoᵈ the party expected be
hostile we will have the friendship of the Indians and although my party
is now only 13 men in all I fele no fear in meeting 60 Spaniards, with
the multitude of the Indians.
30th Decr
Yesterday at about 3 Oclock we went out to the Prarie to see if we
could discover the spanish party—we discovered them about 5 miles
distance, we advanced to meet them—when they discovered us they halted
and formed to receive us in “military style”—we were requested by our
Companion to Halt, when we were received on a full charge—To within
ten paces of us when the men all dismounted and embraced us with
affection and friendship—they are all creoles of that country—seem well
disposed—possess far less sence than the Indeans we are with, seem
happy and possess a greater degree of Joy at seeing us than could be
Immagined—It is a matter of astonishment the difference of treatment of
the Indians to them and our party—the Indians Commanded them as much as
we command our negroes—At night the Indians asked us if we were willing
to let the Capt. and his principle man sleep [in] the lodge with us,
which we agreed to—the Indeans derected them to pray so that we may see
their fashion which they readily agreed to and went through with the
Catholic prayers, and afterwards prayed fervently for us—their whole
trading equipment in the U. S. would not sell for fifty dollars—In short
to describe them would require the pen of a Butler and the pencil of a
Hogarth—They leave here to morrow for home and I intend to accompany them—
31st Decr.
It is only necessary to Judge of them to say the Capt. and all his party
were painted like the Indians the day they traded—and during the prayer
the Capt. Caught a louse on his shirt and eat it—[75]
the Spaniards moved up to our Camp from the Indeans for the purpose
of [selling] us Some Corn the no [they know] nothing about our moad
of measurement but ask at the Rate of ten dollers pr Bushil the ask
thirty dollers for a mule and one Hunderd dollers for ther best Running
Horses—We Intend leaveing this With the Spanierds in the morning—
January 1st 1822
this being a holaday With our nibours We lay by all day—Haveing about two
pounds of bacon Which I Head kept as a Reserve I Heare Shewd it to the
Indeans—the Cheef asked What kind of anemel maid that meat When He Was
told a Hog He Requested the Shape of it to be maid on the Sand When that
Was [done] all the Indeans said the Head never Seen Such an animal and
appeered to Wonder and think it Strange that the Head never Seen the like
Soposing them Selves to Have Seen all kind of anemels—
I Heare left mager Fowler in Charge of the Camp With Instructions to
fortify His Camp and Hors Peen to treat all Indeans frendly but traid
With none—and shold War party Call to let them Have Some Powder ball and
Paint With Some tobaco
on the 30th ultimo three of our [men] Ware Sent out to the mountains to
Hunt for Buffelow and Ware meet by a party of thirteen Indeans of the
Crowes Haveing With them about two Hunderd Horses Which the Had Stolen
from Some other nation and Ware on theer Way Home—the took our men
Prisnors as fare as the River Wheare the took from them their Powder
ball and Blankets giveing them nine fine Horses in payment for What the
Head taken While this traid Was progresing the Horses Ware Crossing
on the Ice—a Ware Party of arrapohoes over took them a battle Was the
Consequence and Each party took off part of the Horses and our men maid
their Escape In the Battle leaveing all the Horses the Head obtained of
the Indeans—the Ware treated frendly by the Crowes and tolled the Ware
taken only to prevent them from giveing Information to the arrapohoes—the
Crowes Say the left the White People on the Platt about 10 nights ago and
that it Will take them three nights to go there With their Horses Wheare
the left the Rest of their nation—the speeke on the most frendly terms
of the White men and Say the are about 35 in nomber—all the nesecery
araingements are maid for my Self and four men to Set out in the morning
to Cross the mountains to Santafee—[76]
Jany 2nd 1822
this morning the Spanierds Began to Collect their Horses and load for
their departure—Conl glann and four men Set out With them—leaveing me
With Eight men in an oppen Camp With the ballence of the goods after
takeing Some things With Him to Sell So as to pay their Exspences. We
are now In the Hart of the Inden Cuntry and Emedetly on the great Ware
Road—not only of one nation against the others—in the Road to all the
Spanish Settlements With Which the Indeans on this Side of the mountains
are at War—So that our Setuation is not of the most Plesent kind—We Have
no meet In Camp—and Con Clude to Send two Hunters out With Horses in the
morning to kill Some meat Intending to Set the ballence of the Hands at
Work to build a Hous and a Strong Peen for the Horses at night
Jany the 3rd 1822
Roas Early to Start the Hunters ordered two of the men to Prepare the
Horses While the Hunters got Readey—but the men lay Still I maid the
Second Call but With no better Sucsees—I then discovered that a mutney
Was Intended—and Emedetly drew one of the men from His beed by the top of
His Head. but [one] of his frends in the Plott asisted Him—and We Ware
Soon all In a Scoffel. but Robert Fowler Soon Came to my asistance—and
the bisness as Soon Ended—tho it Was Some time before the gave up their
Intended muteney and five of them Seperated to them Selves and declared
the Wold do the plased and Wold not be ordered by any other porson—I
soon discovered that the Exspected the Spanierds Wold not let Conl
glann Return and that they Intended to make the best of the goods the
Cold—aledgeing the Ware the Strongest party and that the Wold pay them
Selves—on Which discovery I told them that un less the Wold Return to
their dutey I Wold send for the Arrapoho Cheef Who Wold be gld to asist
me to take Care of the goods and that the might go Whare the plased—and
that I Wold not Suffer them to meddle With the goods—the then Held a
Councle and sent one man to tell me that If I Wold be acountable to them
for their pay—the Wold go to their dutey and do What I ordored them—to
Which I toled them I wold make no new Bargen With them—and that If the
Chose the might go on With their mutenous Sceen—that I Cold protect the
goods till the Indeans Came for Which I Wold Soon Send—the then all
Came and Stated that the Wold do What I told them and Wold go to Work
Emedetley—and asked me to think of them and Secure the pay for them If
Conl glann Shold not Return Which the Espected He never Wold. and that
it Wold be Heard for them to loos all their Wages—to Which I toled them
if the Continued to do as good and Honest men aught that as fare as the
goods Wold Reech they Shold be paid—the two men Went out to Hunt but
Returned With out killing any thing—now all Hands Went to Worke Willingly
and by night We Head the Hors Peen finished and the Hous With two pens
four logs High—Which maid part of the Hors Pen and the door of the Hous
in the Hors Peen Which Was So Strong that a few Indeans Cold not take the
Horses out With out Choping Some of the logs—and must Waken us all tho We
Slept Ever So Sound—
Friday 4th Jany 1822
Went to Work Early got our House nine loggs High—and began to pitch the
tents on the top by Way of a Roof the House Just Wide Enof for that
purpose We Heared a gun near Camp two of the Hunters out We Soon Heared
another and then Several others I took up my gun and Went to the plase
Whear Robert Fowler Head killed two deer and Wounded Several more Heare
We met With Ward With one deer and one turkey We Have now plenty of meet
the first We Have Head for five days all Which time We lived on Corn
precured from the Spanierds—