and moral code of his Indian protectors, which as it is briefly summed up by an old chief, we extract entire.

"Never steal except it be from an enemy, whom it is just that we should injure in every possible way. When you become a man, be brave and cunning in war, and defend your hunting grounds against all encroachments. Never suffer your squaws or little ones to want. Protect the squaws and strangers from insult. On no account betray_your friend. Resent insults-revenge yourselves on your enemies. Drink not the poisonous strong-water of the white people; it is sent by their Bad Spirit to destroy the Indians. Fear not death; none but cowards fear to die. Obey and venerate the old people, particularly your parents. Fear and propitiate the Bad Spirit that he may do you no harm ;---love and adore the Good Spirit, who made us all, who supplies our hunting grounds, and keeps us alone."

The vices of the Indian character consist of treachery, vindictiveness, cruelty, and cunning in their conduct towards their enemies; and they carry the inflexibility of mind, which enables them to endure the hardships, privations, and tortures to which they are exposed, to a degree, that in many instances, renders them incapable of cherishing the social affections. Unfortunately the incessant warfare carried on between different tribes, and the exceedingly impolitic and unjust treatment, which they have received from the white settlers, tends to foster all that is most reprehensible in the dispositions of the aboriginal inhabitants of America. It is impossible to compress within the limits of a review, the variety of information contained in the narrative before us, or to follow the author through every incident of his interesting adventures. The researches of modern travellers have rendered the reading world well acquainted with the immense tract of country situated, between the Alleghanny and the rocky mountains, and watered by the Mississippi, the Arkause, Missouri, and their dependent streams. Amid these almost endless priaries, and associated in the battle and the chace with the tribe to whom he was attached, Hunter spent the early years of his life, and his account of the different nations of native Indians, their treaties, alliances, and hostilities with each other, together with their internal policy and government, gives a clear and compendious view of the state

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of society in that rude and uncultivated world, for which we must refer our readers to the work, whilst we extract some very picturesque, and poetical descriptions of the face of the country, which the author had an opportunity of surveying in all seasons. In an excursion with a party beyond the rocky mountains, their encampment in a snow storm seems worthy of notice.

"On the second day's march, we were everwhelmed in one of those boisterous and tempestuous snow storms, which sometime happen in those northern regions, towards the breaking up of the winter, and of the severity of which no idea can be formed without experience. The flakes fell in such rapid succession as nearly to fill the atmosphere; and were driven by the vehemence of the winds with such force, as almost to obstruct our vision. The weather was intensely cold, and no retreat was to be found to shelter us from these threatening catastrophes. We spread a few skins on the snow, crouded in a heap upon them, covered ourselves with what remained, and under the strongest conviction that our existence would here terminate, devoutly resigned ourselves to the disposition of the Great Spirit. How long we remained in this state is altogether out of my power to say, but we had fallen asleep and were awakened by the howling of the wolf, which sometimes was very near us, and at others receded till it was lost in remoteness. The repetition of this circumstance induced the belief, that our retreat had been discovered by one of these animals, which not being sufficiently courageous to attack us alone, had raised the cries we heard, to rally others to his assistance with a view, should such prove the fact, of resisting them and procuring some food to resussitate our nearly exhausted frames, we at tempted to rise, but found ourselves confined by an almost irresistible barrier of snow, and thinking it more adviseable to dig ourselves a passage out, than to continue efforts, which, if they succeeded, would spoil our lodge, we soon made an aperture, through which we might pass with facility, tho' none of us, at this time, ventured out. To the tempest which so lately threatened our existence, had succeeded a most brilliant moonlight; the winds had hushed and all, except the distant howls of the wolf as before noticed, was profound silence. In this state of things, Wan-ga-shee, one of our party placed himself in the outlet of our lodge with his rifle, and much to our joy and relief shot the wolf soon after as it approached him. From long abstinence our desire for food had become voracious; and part of this animal was literally devoured by us, without undergoing any preparation, while it was yet warm in its blood. This repast though made in an intensely cold night, on the surface of a deep snow, and with very little more to cover us than the ethereal arch, was by far the most delicious, that any of our party had ever enjoyed. We had scarcely completed it, when our ears were again assailed by the approaching howls of another wolf; we therefore retreated to our snowy cell, lay in wait as before, and on its arrival shot this also. In the course of the night we killed four more, which were probably attracted in succession to the place by the howlings of those that preceded. The night following we watched by turns for the wolves, and killed three more early in the evening, which were the last we saw, while in this sin

gular encampment, though we often heard their howls at a distance. We had suffered much from cold on the preceding day, and determining it possible to obviate the occurrence of a similar circumstance we cut down several of the neighbouring pines, with the trunks of which we pitched a roof over our lodge, thatched it with branches of trees, and formed a sort of floor with the same materials, and subsequently in respect to temperature kept ourselves tolerably comfortable. In respect to food eur situation was far otherwise: we were constantly on a very limited allowance, and towards the close of this extraordinary sojourning, without any thing to eat except moss, and the inner bark of trees, for seve ral days together; so that our situation became extremely alarming from the prospect of starvation. On the morning of a very pleasant day, I had strolled or rather crawled, a short distance from our cell with my rifle, in hopes that game of some kind or other would make its appearance. In this expectation I was not disappointed, for I had scarcely proceeded one hundred yards, before my attention was attracted by an extraordinary large elk, which was approaching me in rather an oblique direction, in a careless and easy gait. Fortunately, there happened to be a slight elevation, or drift of snow, just a head, behind which I skreened myself, and when it had arrived, as I thought sufficiently near, shot at, and wounded it; but notwithstanding it made off at full speed. Some of the strongest and best provided of our party, hearing the report of my rifle, came up to ascertain the cause, joined in pursuit and soon discovered, to our surprise, a large panther fixed upon its throat, and devouring it with great rapacity. We shot two balls through the body of this intruder, which, on first discovering us, as though aware that he should be forced to dispute the prize, had put himself in an attitude of defence; shewing his fangs, and growling defiance. As soon as the panther had received our balls, he made several bounds of surprising length directly toward us, and then, perhaps fortunately for us, fell dead. We now repaired with a part of the elk to the camp, and after having indulged our appetites immediately, we brought in the balance in the course of the day. This seasonable supply at first occasioned a distressing sickness to all our party; but finally, it reanimated our drooping spirits, and enabled us shortly after, to visit the haunts of the elk, where we killed two more, which like the former, were from a third to a half larger than any we had before seen. We next dressed their skins, repaired our mockasins and robes, dried some of the meat, and after returning thanks to the Great Spirit for having preserved us through so many perils, commenced our march down the Mississippi.

On Hunter's return to the Osage settlements, he found the tribe engaged with several white traders, and he received much attention and kindness from Colonel Watkins, and Mr. Combs, who were doubtless struck with his singular situation, but who were unable to induce him to quit his savage life, so strongly had the Indians impressed his mind with fear and dislike of the descendants of an European stock. Whilst these gentlemen remained in the vicinity, a too free indulgence in whiskey occasioned a horrible outrage on the per

son of Mr. La Fouche, a French trader, who unfortu nately falling in with a hunting party in a state of dreadful inebriation, was sacrificed on the spot by the infuriated savages. Rendered frantic by the effects of the intoxicating potion they determined upon satiating their thirst for vengeance by the massacre of Watkins and his company, who having traded very successfully for peltries, they feared might induce others to trespass on their hunting grounds! Their plan was so cunningly laid, that had not Hunter's more generous nature revolted at the idea of treacherously shedding human blood, escape would have been impossible. At the risque of his life, and closely pursued by the watch dog belonging to the tribe, he fled to the camp of Col. Watkins and gave the alarm. This important service rendered the traders extremely anxious to retain him in their party, but he refused to fight against the Indians, and ever felt a mistaken, yet honourable sentiment of remorse at the part, which necessity had compelled him to undertake, and conscious of being an outcast from the tribe, whom he had disappointed of their promised prey, he determined to fly to the desert, and having received from Col. Watkins a powder flask, powder, lead, bullets, bullet moulds, &c. he commenced a life of the wildest solitude, that imagination can conceive, in a boundless waste, with the monsters of the wilderness for his companions, and "rolled round in life's diurnal course, with rocks, and stones and trees"-but his own language will best describe the strangeness of his situation and pursuits.

"The hunting season for furs had now gone by, and the time and labour necessary to procure food for myself was very inconsiderable. I knew of no human being near me, my only companions were the grazing herds, the rapacious animals that preyed on them, the beaver and other animals that afforded pelts, and birds, fish, and reptiles. Notwithstanding this solitude, many sources of amusement presented themselves to me, especially after I had become somewhat familiarized to it. The country around was delightful, and I roved over it almost incessantly, in ardent expectation of falling in with some party of Indians, with whom I might be permitted to associate myself. Apart from the hunting that was essential to my subsistence, I practised various arts to take birds, fish, and small game, frequently bathed in the river, and took

great pleasure in regarding the dispositions and habits of such animals, as were presented to myobservation, the conflicts of the male buffalos and deer, the attack of the latter on the rattlesnake. This animal on discovering a snake as I have repeatedly witnessed, retreats some distance from it, then running with great rapidity alights with its col lected feet upon it, and repeats this manoeuvre till it has destroyed its enemy. The industry and ingenuity of the beaver in constructing its den, &c. and the attacks of the panther on its prey, afforded much interest, and engrossed much time. Indeed I have lain for half a day at a time in the shade to witness the management and policy of the ants in storing up their food, the manoeuvres of the spider in taking its prey, the artifice of the mason-fly (sphex) constructing and storing its clayey cells, and the voraciousness and industry of the dragon-fly (Lebellale) to satisfy its appetite. In one instance I vexed a rattlesnake till it bit itself, I saw and subsequently saw it die from the poison of its own fangs. one strangled in the wreathed folds of its inveterate enemy, the black snake. But in the midst of this extraordinary employment my mind was far from being satisfied. I looked back with the most painful reflections on what I had been, and on the irreparable sacrifice I had made, merely to become an outcast, to be hated and dispised by those I sincerely loved and esteemed. But, however, much I was disposed to be dissatisfied and quarrel with myself. the consolation of the most entire conviction that I had acted rightly always followed, and silenced my self upbraidings. The anxieties, and regrets about my nation, country, and kindred, for a long time held paramount dominion over all my feelings, but I looked unwaveringly to the great spirit, in whom experience has taught me to confide, and the tumultuous agitations of my mind gradually subsided into a calm: I became satisfied with the loveliness of my situation, could lie down to sleep among the rocks, ravines, and ferus, in careless quietude, and hear the wolf and panther prowling around me, and almost feel the venomous reptiles seeking shelter and repose under my robe with sensations bording on indifference. In one of my excursions, while seated in the shade of a large tree, situated on a gentle declivity, with a view to procure some mitigation from the oppressive heat of the mid-day-sun, I was surprised by a tremendous rushing noise. I sprang up and discovered a herd, I believe, of a thousand buffalos running in full speed directly towards me; with a view, as I supposed, to beat off the flies, which at this season are inconceivably troublesome to those animals. I placed myself behind the tree, so as not to be seen, not apprehending any danger; because they ran with too great rapidity, and too closely together, to afford any one of them an opportunity of injuring me while protected in this manner. The buffalos passed so near me on both sides, that I could have touched several of them by merely extending my arm. the rear of the herd was one on which a huge panther had fixed, and was voraciously engaged in cutting off the muscles of its neck. I did not discover this circumstance till it had nearly passed beyond rifle-shot distance, when I discharged my piece and wounded the panther. It instantly left its hold on the buffalo, and bounded with great rapidity towards me. On witnessing the result of my shot the apprehensions I suffered can scarcely be imagined. I had, however sufficient presence of mind to retreat and secrete myself behind the trunk of the tree opposite to its approaching direction. Then, solicitous for what possibly might be the result of my unfortunate shot, I prepared both my knife and tomahawk, for what I supposed a deadly conflict with this terrible animal. In a few

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