Page:A Brief History of South Dakota.djvu/50

44 fixed to the girdle behind the back in such a way that the tails stick out horizontally from the body. On his head, too, is a raven skin split into two parts and tied so as to let the beak project from the forehead."

The next morning when the captains' royal guests arose, they carefully wrapped up the blanket upon which they had slept and carried it away with them. There was nothing irregular about this, and it is the custom of the Teton Sioux to this day. When an Indian is invited to a feast, it is his privilege to carry away all the remnants left upon the table, and if he remains over night, he takes with him, as a matter of course, the blankets upon which he has slept.

So pleased were the captains with the entertainment they had received, that they decided to remain for another day of it, and traditions of that day of dance and feast and carousal are still handed down among the descendants of the Tetons who took part in it. Captain Clark was accompanied by his personal servant, a colored man named York, who was a great curiosity to the Indians. York was intensely black and the Indians were very greatly astonished when they discovered that they could not wash the color off. He was a man of wonderful strength and in this day's entertainment he won the unbounded admiration of the Indians by his exhibitions of prowess.

However, it was necessary to bring the fête to a close, and on Friday, the 28th of September, the captains determined to proceed on their journey. But when the time for starting came, the Indians were as unwilling to have