Page:A Topographical Description of the State of Ohio, Indiana Territory, and Louisiana.djvu/189

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polished and marked with red and black lines. Forty of these sticks are divided between the two persons who play. One wraps up a part of his sticks in grass, the other matches a part of his to them. If they agree in number or colour of the lines, the one that matches wins five, or otherwise loses the same number. The game is always forty.

On the 18th of May, several parties of Indians arrived from the river Chein, for the purpose of trading, consisting of Dog Indians, Gens-dis-valch, Kaewas, and Kales. A trader likewise came in from the Assinniboin river. They all assembled at the village, at the mouth of the Warriuna river, and our camp moved up to the same village. The trader soon procured what furs of any value they had to dispose of, and departed. Mr. Pardo, having procured a supply of ammunition, proposed to ascend the Missouri, on a hunting expedition with a party of Grossventres[1], with whom he was connected by marriage. His wife was the daughter of the chief of this nation. He applied to the chief of our camp, to whom I belonged, whose name is Man-di-tongue-go, for liberty for me to accompany him. The chief consented that I should go with him, on condition that I should give him a part of the skins I procured, and lent me an old musket. There were three of

  1. This name has been spelt wrong and altered, but still wrong. The true spelling is found to be Gross-Vantres, or Grossventres. Also, Assinniboin river, is the true spelling.