Travels in the Interior of North America Part 24

[356] On this subject see "Astoria," and "Adventures of Captain Bonneville," also "Ross c.o.x's Adventures on the Columbia River," p.

198. The dress of the white agents of the Company is made of cloth, like our own; but the hunters often wear a leather dress, ornamented, for the most part, in the Indian fashion, while the common _engages_ wear white blanket coats, such as I have described when speaking of the inhabitants of Indiana, on the Wabash. They are mostly shod in Indian moca.s.sins, a dozen pair of which may be purchased from the Indian women for one dollar, when they are not ornamented. The hunters, here, maintain that these Indian shoes are better adapted to the prairies than our European ones, as they do not become so slippery. They are frequently soled with elk hide, or parchment. The worst is, that they are easily penetrated by the p.r.i.c.kles of the cactus, and on this account we greatly preferred our European shoes.

At Fort Union, artisans of almost every description are to be met with, such as smiths, masons, carpenters, joiners, coopers, tailors, shoemakers, hatters, &c.--MAXIMILIAN.

[357] Some idea may be formed of the enormous quant.i.ty of beavers killed every year, from the circ.u.mstance that the Hudson's Bay Company sends to London alone 50,000, this animal being found as far as the coasts of the Frozen Ocean.--MAXIMILIAN.

[358] At Rock River, which falls into the Mississippi, the Indians caught, in 1825, about 130,000 musk-rats; in the following year, about half the number; and, in about two years after, these animals were scarcely to be met with. Previous to this time, an Indian caught, in thirty days, as many as 1,600 of them. In South America, there is only one species of wild animal, known to me, whose skins are collected in large quant.i.ties. According to D'Orbigny, in the first six months of 1828, above 150,000 dozen Quiyaa were sold, in Corrientes, at from fifteen to eighteen francs the dozen. The Indians hunt this animal, which lives in the mora.s.ses, with dogs, and shoot it with arrows.--MAXIMILIAN.

[359] See Plate 62, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.

[360] See Plate 15, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.

[361] Unfortunately, all these interesting specimens were destroyed in the fire on board the steam-boat.--MAXIMILIAN.

_Comment by Ed._ Reference is made to the burning of the "a.s.siniboine." See note 179, _ante_, p. 240.

[362] William Keating, _Narrative of an Expedition to the source of St. Peter's River, performed in the year 1823, under command of Stephen H. Long_ (Philadelphia, 1824).--ED.

[363] Sir John Franklin, _Narrative of a Journey to the sh.o.r.es of the Polar Sea in the years 1819, 1820, 1821, and 1822_ (London, 1823), p.

104.--ED.

[364] Fort des Prairies was at different periods applied to various Hudson's Bay Company posts. Apparently this was the fort on the site of Edmonton, for which see Franchere's _Narrative_, in our volume vi, p. 364, note 177.--ED.

[365] The word _osayes_ is one of the many Canadian terms which are mixed with the French of that country, and means bones.--MAXIMILIAN.

[366] Consult on the bands or gentes of the a.s.siniboin, J. O. Dorsey, "Siouan Sociology," in Bureau of Ethnology _Report_, 1893-94, pp. 222, 223.--ED.

[367] The common Mackinaw guns, which the Fur Company obtain from England at the rate of eight dollars a-piece, and which are sold to the Indians for the value of thirty dollars.--MAXIMILIAN.

[368] _Op. cit._ in note 361, [_ante_] p. 112.--MAXIMILIAN.

[369] The reference is to Edwin James (editor) _Narrative of Captivity and Adventures during thirty years' residence among the Indians in the interior of North America by John Tanner_ (New York, 1830). John Tanner, a boy of nine years, was captured in Kentucky about 1790. He pa.s.sed the larger part of his life in the northern woods. In 1818 he sought his relatives in Kentucky while his brother Edward was searching for him near Mackinac. For some years he was employed as interpreter at Sault Ste. Marie, but having become an Indian in habit he shot (1836) and killed James L. Schoolcraft and fled to the wilderness where he died about 1847 (but see _Minnesota Historical Collections_, vi, p. 114). His _Narrative_ was much quoted by contemporary writers.--ED.

[370] See p. 361, for ill.u.s.tration of a.s.siniboin pipes.--ED.

[371] The Indians on the Upper Missouri have another kind of tobacco pipe, the bowl of which is in the same line as the tube, and which they use only on their warlike expeditions. As the aperture of the pipe is more inclined downwards than usual, the fire can never be seen, so as to betray the smoker, who lies on the ground, and holds the pipe on one side.--MAXIMILIAN.

_Comment by Ed._ See p. 361, for ill.u.s.tration of pipe for warlike expeditions.

[372] See Plate 81, figure 11, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.

Important Historical Publications OF The Arthur H. Clark Company

Full descriptive circulars will be mailed on application

AUDUBON'S WESTERN JOURNAL: 1849-1850

Being the MS. record of a trip from New York to Texas, and an overland journey through Mexico and Arizona to the gold-fields of California

BY _JOHN W. AUDUBON_

With biographical memoir by his daughter MARIA R. AUDUBON

_Edited by_ FRANK HEYWOOD HODDER Professor of American History, University of Kansas

_With folded map, portrait, and original drawings_

John W. Audubon, son of the famous ornithologist, was a member of Colonel Webb's California Expedition which started from New York City for the gold-fields in February, 1849. The Journal consists of careful notes which Audubon made en route. It was written with a view to publication, accompanied by a series of sketches made at intervals during the journey; but owing to Audubon's pre-occupation with other affairs, the plan of publication was never realized.

The Journal is, therefore, here published for the first time, and is ill.u.s.trated by the author's original sketches, carefully reproduced.

It gives a vivid first-hand picture of the difficulties of an overland journey to California, and of the excitements, dangers, and privations of life in the gold-fields. An additional interest attaches to this account from the fact that Colonel Webb deserted his party, which consisted of nearly a hundred men, when the expedition reached Roma, and the command then by unanimous choice of the party devolved upon Audubon. This situation, as modestly related by the author, displays his sympathetic nature, as well as his keenness and ability as a leader.

Besides being a fascinating story of adventure, the Journal throws much light on the interesting years immediately following the discovery of gold in California. John W. Audubon was (with his brother Victor G. Audubon) the a.s.sistant of his father, and executed much of the artistic work on the famous "Quadrupeds of North America." His pictures of the spreading of the gold craze in the East, the journey through Mexico, and the social conditions after reaching California, show him to be a keen and faithful observer.

The Editor, Professor F. H. Hodder, of the University of Kansas, has supplied complete annotation explaining matters of topography, natural science, and historical and personal allusions. Professor Hodder in his editorial work has drawn liberally upon his special knowledge of the history and geography of the West and Southwest. A biographical memoir has been written by Miss Maria R. Audubon. Being the daughter of the author, she has availed herself of a large amount of auxiliary material not accessible to any other biographer.

Printed direct from type on d.i.c.kinson's deckle-edged paper, and ill.u.s.trated with folded map, portrait, and plates, in one volume, 8vo, about 225 pages, cloth, uncut.

Price $3.00 net.

The Arthur H. Clark Company _PUBLISHERS_ CLEVELAND, OHIO

PERSONAL NARRATIVE OF _Travels in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky; and of a Residence in the Illinois Territory: 1817-1818_

BY ELIAS PYM FORDHAM

With facsimiles of the author's sketches and plans

Edited with Notes, Introduction, Index, etc., by FREDERIC AUSTIN OGG, A.M.

_Author of "The Opening of the Mississippi"_

=AN UNPUBLISHED MS.=

This. .h.i.therto unpublished MS., which is a real literary and historical find, was written in 1817-18 by a young Englishman of excellent education who a.s.sisted Morris Birkbeck in establishing his Illinois settlement. The author writes anonymously, but by a careful study of various allusions in the _Narrative_ and from information furnished by the family in possession of the MS., has been identified as Elias Pym Fordham. Landing at Baltimore, he reached the West by way of Philadelphia, Pittsburg, and the Ohio River to Cincinnati, describing the people and the country as he went along.

=THE MIDDLE WEST IN 1817=