ble circumstances.

It is a safe rule, when a man finds himself alone in the prairies, and
sees a party of Indians approaching, not to allow them to come near
him, and if they persist in so doing, to signal them to keep away. If
they do not obey, and he be mounted upon a fleet horse, he should make
for the nearest timber. If the Indians follow and press him too
closely, he should halt, turn around, and point his gun at the
foremost, which will often have the effect of turning them back, but he
should never draw trigger unless he finds that his life depends upon
the shot; for, as soon as his shot is delivered, his sole dependence,
unless he have time to reload, must be upon the speed of his horse.

The Indians of the Plains, notwithstanding the encomiums that have been
heaped upon their brethren who formerly occupied the Eastern States for
their gratitude, have not, so far as I have observed, the most distant
conception of that sentiment. You may confer numberless benefits upon
them for years, and the more that is done for them the more they will
expect. They do not seem to comprehend the motive which dictates an act
of benevolence or charity, and they invariably attribute it to fear or
the expectation of reward. When they make a present, it is with a view
of getting more than its equivalent in return.

I have never yet been able to discover that the Western wild tribes
possessed any of those attributes which among civilized nations are
regarded as virtues adorning the human character. They have yet to be
taught the first rudiments of civilization, and they are at this time
as far from any knowledge of Christianity, and as worthy subjects for
missionary enterprise, as the most untutored natives of the South Sea
Islands.

[Illustration: KEEP AWAY!]

The only way to make these merciless freebooters fear or respect the
authority of our government is, when they misbehave, first of all to
chastise them well by striking such a blow as will be felt for a long
time, and thus show them that we are superior to them in war. They will
then respect us much more than when their good-will is purchased with
presents.

The opinion of a friend of mine, who has passed the last twenty-five
years of his life among the Indians of the Rocky Mountains,
corroborates the opinions I have advanced upon this head, and although
I do not endorse all of his sentiments, yet many of them are deduced
from long and matured experience and critical ob