POLICE REGULATIONS—A MORAL PEOPLE—MARRIAGE CUSTOMS—INVITATION TO A FEAST—SKUNK MEAT AT MID-NIGHT—INDIANS CHEATED BY WHITE TRADERS.

The lodges, during our stay on the Upper Forks of the Running Water River, were made comfortably warm by banking up dry sod three feet high around them. Inside of the lodges, the floor, to within about three feet of the fire, all around, was covered with half-dressed robes, at times four deep, which made it good to sleep upon.

We had the best of order in our village. Four Indians were appointed every day to act as police. These had their faces blackened when on duty. Fresh ones were appointed daily to guard and see that everything was orderly in the village.

I had been informed while in the States that all Indians were very licentious and degraded in their character and habits. It may possibly be the case with some tribes, but from the first day I traveled with the Poncas up to the last, which was six months, I never saw anything that would cause a lady to blush, either in the actions of a male or female. If there had been anything of the kind I would have seen it, for I was at all their feasts of dancing and eating, and attended three of their weddings.

If a young Indian wants to marry, and finds a squaw who is inclined to receive his addresses, he goes to the father of the young woman and learns from him the worth of the lady. He also finds out whether he would be acceptable to him as a son-in-law. If the match is agreeable to the parent, he will perhaps ask three horses as the price of her, sometimes more, sometimes less. The price depends somewhat on the smartness of the girl. If she can braid well, and dress robes and skins first rate, and is well qualified for the labors required of her, she is worth more horses than one who is not so smart.

When the price is settled and the amount paid, the next thing for the young Indian to do is to prepare a home for his bride. He either hires part of a lodge, purchases one or furnishes the skins for his intended bride to make one. When this is done he goes out and hunts game, brings what he kills to the lodge of her father, and hands it over to the young woman, who cooks some and gives it to him to eat. She also makes him a present either of a robe, pair of leggings or a pair of moccasins. Thus he proves on his part that he is willing to hunt and provide for her; and she, on the other hand, shows her willingness to cook and make what clothing he wishes. This is all that is needed to become husband and wife.

It often happens that a young Indian, when wanting to marry, is poor, and does not own any horses. In such a case he promises to help his father-in-law to hunt until he gets a horse, or horses.

Sometimes there are a number of young Indians wanting to marry, but cannot do so for want of horses to pay for the young ladies. When such is the case, they occasionally lay their plans (unknown to their chiefs) for a raid on the horses of other tribes or nations, to steal what they need for the purchase of their wives.

This occurred once while I was with them. Eight young Indians were gone twenty-three days, and returned without any, finding the horses were too well guarded.

At times, when the Indians have had horses stolen by marauding parties from other nations, the chiefs call a council of the braves, and choose a number to go to the aggressors as a war party, and get back their horses that have been stolen, or steal some better ones from them. This party are all fighting men, and often have to fight before they return, whether they get any horses or not.

The war parties of the different tribes are continually active; and each tribe has to be on the watch, to prevent its horses being stolen while in herds near its villages.

All foreign war parties are looked upon as enemies, and whenever the Indians see them they shoot them and bring their scalps to camp, for the young folks to dance around at their evening entertainments. Sending out these war parties was often the cause of the different nations going to war, and it is the same to this day.

When traveling, we would often see a foot track in the sand, or an arrow or moccasin by the way. As soon as an Indian saw any of these he knew by what tribe they had been left. When I asked them how they knew this, they informed me that each nation made shoes, or moccasins, differing somewhat in shape from those of other nations. They also had different colored arrows, so that those of each nation could be easily identified by any one acquainted with the various peculiarities. The various Indian nations are distinguished by the colors of their arrows in the same way that civilized nations are by the colors of their flags.

When a chief prepares a feast for some of his friends, an Indian is sent around to inform the party invited. This is sometimes done before the food is prepared, so that they may have a smoke and a talk first. The Indian who goes to invite the guests does not go into their lodges to do so, but calls out their names, and tells what they will have to eat, as he passes their lodges. These are the words they would use if they were inviting me: "Ah-how Whadee-shipper, moningahow munga war-rattah Wayger-sippeys teah!" which means: "Oh S——! Walk off! Skunk food at the chief's lodge!"

They think skunk meat very fine food. I have been called up at midnight to go to a skunk feast. When dressed and cooked properly the meat is good; if not cooked properly it is very strong, so much so that one can taste it the next day after eating it.

I ate quite a variety of food while with them, consisting of fish of various kinds, buffalo, elk, deer, antelope, beaver, otter, dog, wolf, skunk, turkey, duck, crow and pigeon.

It was near Christmas, and I had been two months alone with this nation. During this time I had suffered much pain of body, but in spirit I had felt well, and never felt the least discouraged, or even sorry I had left the camp of the Saints. I had learned considerable of their language, and had become acquainted with their customs and manners of life, all of which I knew would be useful to me, and to the camps of Israel, when traveling through the Indian nations, if I lived.

I had looked upon these Indians of the desert as the enemies of the white men, and believed they would rob and kill them whenever found. How different my feelings are towards them to-day! No nation or people could have treated me with more kindness. I lived in the best house, or lodge, in the village. I had the best seat (a good pillow) at their councils. I had the best food the nation afforded to eat, and was treated by the chiefs, soldiers, braves and people, both old and young, as though I was their king. I always found they wished to be friendly with the white men if they would treat them aright; but the Indians had been deceived by them in trade and treaty, and for this they had rebelled at times.

The old chiefs always taught their young men to be good, and be at peace if others wished peace, and only fight when others were determined to fight with them.

They informed me, I am sorry to say, that white men had often been sent to trade with them for their robes and skins, and had cheated them by giving less and poorer goods for their things than they had promised; thus getting their robes for little or nothing, and telling them that they would send them horses, and then never doing it.