, 1855-08-03
BnGaIoes and Indians.


sand miles above St. Louis. The writer
says:
These mountains consist of several stu
penduous ranges, dividing the head waters
Of the Columbia and Missouri rivers and
Hudson Bay, and are covered with eternal
snO'sS from Eve 70 lifty feet in depth. A:
the southern Grcezes reach them in the
spring, they yield, from impcrceptible thaw
ings, sufficient to fill the rivers from theil
sources to their mouths. From their huge
proportions and towering elevations they
ale styled the Big Chief Mountains"
Where Picot lives, it is only 5 minutes
walk from the Missouri 10 the Columbia.
The Blackfcet Indians occupy that coun
try. They are wild and warlke, and con
stantly engaged in predatory excursion
against the SIOUX and other bordering
tribes. They are great hunters, and kill
thousand Of buffalo during the winter
Picott has 30, 900 robes. lie says the buf.
falo Of the mountain differ from those of the
plains; that it is larger and more shaggy
and fcrociouS; that there is the excitement
of adventurous daring in hunting them, and
be who is successful mnst have bold heart,
a deadly aim and mastery horsemanship.
The multitude Of these animals is incon-
ceiyable. More than hundred Thousand
are annually slain; a hundred thousand
perish in the SHOWS and rivers, and yet there
is no apparent diminution in their numbers.
Some fifty or sixty thousand robes will be
brought down the Missouri this spring.
As PicOtt came through the Sioux coun-
try, he found those tribes all talking about
the war which they were expecting to have
with the United States. They were NOV
ing in large numbers down towards Lara
me.
This confirms the report of Mitchell,
Robidour and Wiscamp, who came in a
( few days since from the mountains beyond
Fort Laramie, and told me that they came
upon bands, numbering some thousand war
riors at Ash Hollow-the place of fear and
dread to the emigrants They were treated
kindly by them. In speaking Of the anti
cipated difficulty, they said they desired re-
lations of amiiy to exist between them and
their great fathers at Washington, and that
their object in assembling was TO effect a
treaty Of peace il they could, or defend
themselves II they must. ' .'
Col. Cook left Ft. Leavenworth on the
18th inst for TT. Laramie, with two de-
tachments-one Of infantry and one Of cav
airy He will reach Ash Hollow early
next month, and we shall get news of the
result by the 25th. We can but hope It will
by treaty of enduring peace. f'1.
THE ISDrANs-The latest advices from
the Plains give fuller particulars of the In.
dim troubles. They state that the Brules,
Cheyennes, Arapahoes, Kiotas, Minnicou.
tees and Camanches had assembled at Ash
Hollow to the number Of three Thousand
warriors, and were eager for fight They
laughed at the idea of being whipped by the
regular soldiery of the whites, and said they
would fear twenty old mountaincers more
than thousand troops. A correspondent
Of the 81. Louis Republican, writing from
Whitehead, Kansas Territory, says:
"They are stealing all they can lay their
hands on They have stolen eighty-six
horses from Fort Laramie, and twenty-sev'
en- mules from under the guard at Fort
Kearney. n party Of Cheyenues chased
some Pawnees into Fort Kearney, and shot
one Of them after they were in. The sur.
geon took possession of the body; the
Cheyennes demanded the scalp; it was re
fused; the Cheyennes made some demon
strations, when o file of soldiers fred into
them; the Cheyennes stood for q moment a'
II TO see if any Of their band were wounded.
Not ball however had taken effect. They
then turned and departed slowly, taking Of
twenty-seven mules. Those in the Fort
are said to have been very much alarmed
and congratulated themselves upon having
missed their aim, believing if they had kill
ed one, the Indians would haue butchereG
them all. The few who are in charge o.
Laramie and Kearney are in state of the
keencst apprehension and most painful sus
pense. They fear that the Indians who
are gathering about them in such numbers
and with no friendly feeling, may wipe then
all out, by getting their hands in before
the new detachments reaches them. This,
however, can hardly be the case"
The 81. Louisa Republican says in rela
tion to the projected expedition of troop
against the Sioux, that probably no ACTIVE
operations will be commenced this summer
The new regiments authorized by the last
Congress will not be prepared to take the
field before the first of September, and thu
dragoon companies under the command o.
General Hearney are not sufficiently nu
merons to constitute an effective working
force.
The KANE RELIEF ExPEDTIoN.-Tht