They Expressed Their Joy At The Change In The Government;
Their Hopes That We Would Recommend Them To Their Great
Father
(the president), that they might obtain trade and necessaries:
they wanted arms as well for hunting as for defence,
And asked our
mediation between them and the Mahas, with whom they are now at war.
We promised to do so, and wished some of them to accompany us
to that nation, which they declined, for fear of being killed
by them. We then proceeded to distribute our presents.
The grand chief of the nation not being of the party,
we sent him a flag, a medal, and some ornaments for clothing.
To the six chiefs who were present, we gave a medal of the second
grade to one Ottoe chief and one Missouri chief; a medal of the third
grade to two inferior chiefs of each nation; the customary mode
of recognizing a chief being to place a medal round his neck, which is
considered among his tribe as a proof of his consideration abroad.
Each of these medals was accompanied by a present of paint,
garters, and cloth ornaments of dress; and to this we added
a canister of powder, a bottle of whiskey, and a few presents
to the whole, which appeared to make them perfectly satisfied.
The air-gun, too, was fired, and astonished them greatly.
The absent grand chief was an Ottoe, named Weahrushhah, which,
in English, degenerates into Little Thief. The two principal
chieftains present were Shongotongo, or Big Horse, and Wethea,
or Hospitality; also Shosguscan, or White Horse, an Ottoe;
the first an Ottoe, the second a Missouri.
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