Page:The Columbia river , or, Scenes and adventures during a residence of six years on the western side of the Rocky Mountains among various tribes of Indians hitherto unknown (Volume 1).djvu/351

 a darker hue, she asked if I would allow her to take a "look." I immediately consented; but her eyes and digits having for some time toiled in vain, she appeared annoyed at her want of success, and rose up quite vexed, declaring we were altogether "too clean."

We visited a small tribe, consisting of not more than fifteen families, who occupied a few hunting lodges about midway between Spokan House and the Chaudière falls: their language is a dialect of that spoken by the natives of the above places, but approaching more nearly to the Spokan. Their immediate lands consist of beautiful open prairies, bounded by clear woods, and interspersed with small rivulets and lakes. The latter are visited in the autumnal months by numbers of wild-geese and ducks, and their hills are well stocked with grouse. They are an inoffensive race, and received us with every demonstration of friendship. We remained a week among them, during which period we had excellent sport. The aquatic birds were large and fat; and the grouse much beyond ours in size; and so tame, that they seldom took wing until we approached within a few yards of them.

The chief of this tribe is an extraordinary being. The Indians allege that he belongs to