all.

_Brian._ I could never have thought that an Indian chief would have
dressed himself in a blue coat and gilt buttons.

_Basil._ And, then, the fan and green umbrella!

_Austin._ Ay, and the whiskey bottles sticking out of his
tail-pockets. He would look a little different from Mah-to-toh-pa.

_Hunter._ I have frequently spoken of the splendid head-dress of the
chiefs of some tribes. Among the Mandans, (and you know Mah-to-toh-pa
was a Mandan,) they would not part with one of their head-dresses of
war-eagle plumes at a less price than two horses. The Konzas, Osages,
Pawnees, Sacs, Foxes and Iowas shave their heads; but all the rest, or
at least as far as I know of the Indian tribes, wear long hair.

_Brian._ Yes; we remember the Crows, with their hair sweeping the
ground.

_Hunter._ Did I tell you, that some of the tribes glue other hair to
their own to make it long, as it is considered so ornamental?

_Basil._ I do not remember that you told us that.

_Hunter._ There are a few other things respecting the Indians that I
wish to mention, before I tell you what the missionaries have done
among them. In civilized countries, people turn out their toes in
walking; but this is not the case among the Indians. When the toes are
turned out, either in walking or running, the whole weight of the body
falls too much on the great toe of the foot that is behind, and it is
mainly owing to this circumstance, that so many have a deformity at
the joint of the great toe. When the foot is turned in, the weight of
the body is thrown equally on all the toes, and the deformity of the
great toe joint is avoided.

_Austin._ What! do the Indians know better how to walk than we do? If
theirs is the best way to walk, why do not we all walk so?

_Hunter._ I suppose, because it is not so elegant in appearance to
walk so. But many things are done by civilized people on account of
fashion. Hundreds and hundreds of females shorten their lives by the
tight clothing and lacings with which they compress their bodies; but
the Indians do not commit such folly.

_Brian._ There is something to be learned from the Indians, after all.

_Hunter._ There is a custom among the Sacs and Foxes that I do not
think I spoke of. The Sacs are better provided with horses than the
Foxes: and so, when the latter go to war and want horses, they go to
the Sacs and beg them. After a time, they sit round in a circle, and
take up their pipes to smoke, seemingly