On top of the mound was erected a staff, from which fluttered the banner
of the chieftain, and the scalps that he had taken in battle. When the
expedition under Mr. Hunt visited that part of the country, the staff
still remained, with the fragments of the banner; and the superstitious
rite of placing food from time to time on the mound, for the use of the
deceased, was still observed by the Omahas. That rite has since fallen
into disuse, for the tribe itself is almost extinct. Yet the hill of the
Blackbird continues an object of veneration to the wandering savage,
and a landmark to the voyager of the Missouri; and as the civilized
traveller comes within sight of its spell-bound crest, the mound is
pointed out to him from afar, which still incloses the grim skeletons of
the Indian warrior and his horse.
CHAPTER XVII.
Rumors of Danger From the Sioux Tetons.--Ruthless Character
of Those Savages.--Pirates of the Missouri.--Their Affair
with Crooks and M'Lellan.--A Trading Expedition Broken Up.--
M'Lellan's Vow of Vengeance.--Uneasiness in the Camp.--
Desertions.-Departure From the Omaha Village.--Meeting With
Jones and Carson, two Adventurous Trappers.--Scientific
Pursuits of Messrs. Bradbury and Nuttall.--Zeal of a
Botanist.
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