ission from Bishop
Whipple of Minnesota. With this genial gentleman, Captain Glazier spent
the greater part of his time while waiting at the Agency, when not
engaged in preparations for the voyage. The courtesy of a semi-civilized
bed, and the convenience of a table, with pens, ink and paper, were
luxuries to be appreciated and not readily forgotten.

Conversations with Mr. Benedict and with Flat Mouth, chief of the
Chippewas, developed the unexpected fact that there was but one Indian
in the Chippewa country who had actually traversed the region which the
Captain and his party were about to explore, and that he was then
visiting some friends near Lake Winnibegoshish, and was not expected to
return until the following Saturday, some three days off.

Satisfied that Che-no-wa-ge-sic, the Chippewa brave referred to, would
prove indispensable to the success of his expedition, Captain Glazier
decided to await his return to the Agency. While thus detained the
Captain and his friends found themselves indebted to Major Ruffe for his
untiring efforts to relieve the monotony of their sojourn, and to render
their condition as agreeable as possible while within his sovereign
borders.

As an important part of Captain Glazier's purpose in his Mississippi
expedition was to study the manners and customs of the people in the
several portions of the country along its banks, he took advantage of
his present detention to inquire into the habits and traits of the
Indians with whom he now came in daily contact. Some extracts from his
private diary, graphically portraying the characteristics which
impressed him, are here especially interesting, as evidence of a certain
power of philosophic reflection and inductive reasoning unusual in the
mind of one so given to the excitement of an active, enterprising life
as was Captain Glazier, who as soldier, author, and explorer certainly
allowed himself little rest for the quiet abstractions of the student.

"Through conversations with Major Ruffe I learned much of the pioneer
history of the post, and the attempts to civilize the Pillagers, as the
Leech Lake Indians are named. This band appears to have separated from
the other Chippewas at an early day, and to have taken upon themselves
the duty of defending this portion of the Chippewa frontier. They
'passed armed before their brethren' in their march westward. Their
geographical position was one which required them to assume great
responsibilitie