Milford beacon., 1854-04-07
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TnE COMANCHE INDIANS.

toms and habits, drawn from his own re-
miniscences.. The following will be found
to contain much interesting information;
The chief of the Comanehes usually
makes talk to his people very early in
the morning, imparting the news and
discussing its purport; this is succeeded
by his orders.
When change of camp is contempla-
ted, the women gather the animals
saddle and pack them. The lodges are
taken down and placed on animals. The
men and woman ride after the same fash
ion.., Very young children are on horse
pack, at an age they would not be suffer-
ed 10 manage horse with us, in an en-
closure. The point of destination is
known 10 all. The families leave as they
get ready, except on some very extraor-
dinary occasion, or when danger is ap-
pretended. In any event they have a
number Of warriors as look-outs on eve
ry side. It is almost impossible 10 ap-
proach Comanche camp without being
discovered.
When moving with their woman and
children, party of Comanches exhibit
scenes of liveliness,-the woman talking,
laughing, and running pack animals to
keep them in place. children with bows
and arrows in hand, beating thicllets for
small game, shooting snakes, shouting
for pastime, running heter-skelter in ev-
cry dircction,-mules going at half speed
over rocky places, with long lodge poles
trailing on either side, making noise
louder than SO many empty wagons
young warriors with gaudy trappngs,
fIolicking and gibing,-when all these
things are jumblcd together into dis
cordant mass, then is it really exciting to
be travelling with the red children of the
forest. Sometimes stampede occurs,
TO give additional variety TO the scene.
On such an location, the dogs of the Gel
ebrated chief, Buffalo Hump, felt called
upon 10 do something they gave chase
to the running horses. Buffllo Hump be-
came furious-with strung bow and rea-
dy arrow, he followed the dogs. The
race was over an undulating prairie kind
of country, and lasted some mile Or SO.
The enraged Indian shot his dogs, and
stopped his horses. The cunning of the
animal eluded the pending harm. The
old chief, With all his subtlely, was for
long time foiled by his canine compan-
IONS. The scenery-the stampede-The
chase-.he maddened Indian-made a
panorama worth seeing, but hardly pay
ing for the trouble ofreadng.
A halt being made, tho women arrange
everything-take care of the horses, set
up the lodges, pack the wood and water,
and cook.
The warriors lounge about, gather in
groups. and talk over matters and things
in general. In things they cannot prop
cry comprehend and account for, in
some way, they possess considerable in
creduliiy, TRey deny the tales they
hear oftne speed Of railway locomotive.
When some of them were informed a
steam car could run from the Colorado
10 chihuahua, in Mexico, in less than a
day they declared it impossible-"a
horse could not run that far in day"
They have game which may be called
"hide the bullet" The players sit down
in circle-sing curious kind Of song
-one takes bullet, changes it from
hand TO hand, throwing his hands in ev-
cry possible direction; when he thinks
his manipulations have sufficiently mys-
tilted the man appointed for that purpose,
he holds out bolh hands and lets HIM
guess in which the bullet is. Every
guess counts on one side or the other.
The number constituting game, is we
believe, matter of agreements the tai
lies are kept with arrows. In this way
great many articles change hands.
There is one garment, and one only, an
Indian never parts with. 1t stands be-
twixt him and nudity.
They play game with sticks, counted
by the way they fall--so many sticks or
! spots falling in a certain way, counting
. so much. We never could understand
the game.
= While this is going forward, the wo-
men get resting spell. They are talk
alive, are great laughers, and seem to
enjoy bit of scandal with as much gus
+ to as their more civilized neighbors.
One of their peculiar amusements would
not be much relished tn circles polite.
A Comanche woman never seems more
happy than when s'verminizing" The
1uckless little animals are devoured by
those upon whom they had feasted they
get the full benefit of the lea talionis.
The children are roaming about, cx-
amining every thicket aud every hole,
bathing, shooting arrows, and making all
those interesting noises incidental to
promising juvenility. .,'.4
'47 The ComancSes formerly owned large
droves of horses. They have thinned
fIlem greatly within the last few years,
= by being compelled to kill them for food.
q Being shut out from the mastange range,
between the Nueces and the Rio Gran
de, was the cause Horse meat, to them
IS preferred to any other The neclbe-
meath the name is considered rare deli
cacy. The meat has a coarse fibre, is
smells badly, has a peculiar
nisweetish taste, which remains in the
dJneuth for nearly a day. We neverlil<e
#. not even when starving for want of