The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-11-23
LIFE AMONG THE CAMANCHEs.

Inc chlet OF a band OF Camanches usually makes
talk to his people very early in the morning i'm
parting the news, and discussing its purport. tbi,
is succeeded bv his order
When a change of camp is contemplated the
women gather the animals, saddle and pack them
Inc men and women ride after the same fashion
very young children are on horseback, at an age
they would not be suffered to manage a horse wifi
us in an enclosure. The point of destination i,
known to ALL The families leave as they get ready
except on some extraordinary occasions, or wher
i1ae a: ~ any event tney nave
is almost impossible to approach Camanche camr
without being discovered.
When moving with their women and children. q
party of Camanches exhibit scenes of liyeliness the
women talking, laughing, and running pack ami
mails to keep them in place-chdren with bow and
arrows IN hand, beating thickets for small pame
shooting snakes, and running heter sketer in every
dlrectlon-mules going at half speed over rocky
places with long lodge polls trailing on either side
making noise louder than empty wagons-younG
warriors, with gaudy trapPings, frOlicking and
glblng-when all these thing are iumbled toGether
into discordant 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 occasion, the
dogs OF the celebrated Chief Buffalo Hump felt
called upon to do something; thev gave chase to
the running horses. Buffalo Hump became furions
with strung bow and ready arrows he followed
the dogs. The race was over an undulating prairie
kind of country, and lasted some mile or So Tho
horses. The cunning of the animal eluded the i'm
pending harm. The old chief, with all his subtIetv
was long time foiled by his canine COMPANIONS
the Scenery-the stampede-the chase-the mad
dened Indian, made panorama worth seeing
malt being made, the women arrange every
thlng-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 properly comprehend and account for
in some way, they possess considerable increduity
They deny the tales thev hear of the speed of a
railroad locomotive. When some of them were in
formed steam car could rIn from the Colorado to
Chihuahua, in Mexico, in less than a day. they de-
clared 1t lmpOsslble-"a horse could not run that
far in day."
Ihey have game called ''hunt the bulet''-
Inc players sit down in circle-sing a curious kind
OF song; one takes bullet changes it from hand to
hand, throwing his arms in every possible direc-
tion. When he thinks his manipulations have suifi-
cienty mystified the appointed for that mr.
pose, he holds out both hands, and lets him guess
in which the bullet is. Every guess counts on one
sue or the other. The number constituting the
game, is, we believe, matter of agreement; the
tallles are keptwith arrows. In this way great
many articles change hands. There is one gar
ment, and one only, an Indian never parts WITH
1t stands betwixt him and nudity.
They play game with painted sticks counted
by the way they fall; many sticks or spots fall
ing a certain way counting so much. We never
could understand the game
IA Sfine tor'~ord the
ing spell. They are talkative, great Iaughers and
seem to enjoy bit of scandal with as much rusto
as their more civilized neighbors One of their ne
cullar amusements would not be much reshed in
circles polite. Camanche woman never seems
more happy than when ''verminizing." The luck
less little animals devoured by those upon whom
they had teasted; they get the full benefit of the
Ter taliOnis.
The children are roaming about examining every
thicket and every hole bathing shooting arrows
and making all those interesting noises incidental tc
promising luvenilitY
The Camanches formerly owned large droves Of
horses They have thinned them greatly within
the last few years by being compelled to lin tban,
for food. Being shut out from the MUSTANG range
between the Nueces and the Rio Grande was The
cause. Horse meat with them is preferred to any
other. The neck, Immediately beneath the name
is considered a rare delicacy. The meat has 4
coarse fibre, is gutinous, smells badly, has pecu
liar sweetsh taste, which remains in the mouth for
nearly day. We never liked it. not even when
starving for want of food. The liver does little
better Never commit the indiscreton of applv-
the stomach often follows such an act of impru.
dence. Mule meat resembles beef in flavor. A fat
mule makes very palatabe eating Young fawns
are tine Terrapns, rattlesnakes prairie dogs and
polecats are very good.
The Mescalero Indians take their name from the
mescal plant. 1t belongs to the order of plants
usually called "bear grass" has a white head like
cabbage, is cooked by digging hole in the
Goals
and ashes and lining the bottom and sides with
prickly pear leaves deprived of thorns by burning.
putting in the mescal covering with cactus, and
building fire upon the same, which must be kept
up for twelve or fourteen hours. The edible part
is soft, and tastes little like an Irish poatoe II
is covered by thin fibrous substance. When on
an expedition between the Pecos and Rio Grande.
the Camanches this and species of the maguey.
The latter is cooked by simply roasting 1t has an
unpleasant taste. These plants will grow upon
sterile upands A Camanche will eat liver, Young
tawns, and many other things while raw. In
Shanco's camp we saw old rascal who offered to
bet he could eat anything For plug of tobacco
he proposed making breakfast upon a substance
banished the furthest possible distance from our
tables: He was the nastiest looking thing in hu-
man shape we ever saw.
The Camanches live, as our phrase is, s'from hand
to mouth" They have little providence. When
provisions are plenty they consume enormous uuan-
titles. They do not bear the pangs of hunger with
the stoical resignation one would suppose In this
particular, as in almost every other, the Delawares
are infinitely superior to them.
The Camanches have religion; they practice in
carnations, and believe in removing diseases by
charms and incantatons
The Camanche enjoys a modicum ofreal pleasure.
His rowing, devimay-care kind of life has attrac-
tions even to the white man.