of the Osages. As he describes the village, it was then situated on a hill, five miles from the Osage River, and contained about one hundred cabins. These Indians spent but a small part of their time at the village, being engaged in the chase at a distance.
Traveling thence to the north-west one hundred and twenty miles, he visits the Panoucas. They lived on the prairie which abounded in buffaloes, in two villages of about one hundred and thirty cabins. They had three hundred fine horses which they prized very highly. Then he advanced westward four hundred and fifty miles to the Paonis,[1] a very brave and warlike nation. Here he takes formal possession of the country in the name of his King by erecting a cross with the arms of France, Sept. 27th, 1719. He now turns back and directs his march to the Missouri River, three hundred and fifty yards from which he discovers the village of the Missouries. Thus so early the French have discovered and explored the Territory of Kansas, and had opened a lively traffic with the Indians, which was kept up for a century afterwards.
The Spaniards, who always repelled with alacrity every western advance of the French, having driven them from Texas, determined to have command of the Missouri River before their rivals had permanently established themselves upon its border. They had heard of M. Dutisne's tour through the territory and knew that success required celerity. They sought by possessing themselves of the Missouri River, to command its waters and enjoy its commerce by restricting the French on the Illinois side of the Mississippi. Their object was first to conquer the Missouries who lived upon the banks of that river, and who were friendly to the French, and establish there a colony. The Pawnees, who dwelt west of the aforesaid Indians, were at war with them, and the Spaniards hoped to enlist the former as allies in the undertaking.
- ↑ This tribe cannot be identified.
