of the customs of those wild children of the wilderness bear to those recorded in holy writ.  Moses is admonished to pull off his shoes, for the place on which he stood was holy ground.  Why this was enjoined as an act of peculiar reverence; whether it was from the circumstance that in the arid region in which the patriarch then resided, it was deemed a test of the sincerity of devotion to walk upon the burning sands barefooted, in some measure analogous to the pains inflicted by the prickly pear, does not appear.  After smoking a few pipes, some trifling presents were distributed amongst them, with which they seemed very much pleased, particularly with the blue beads and the vermillion.  Captain Lewis then informed the chief that the object of his visit was friendly, and should be explained as soon as he reached their camp; but that in the meantime as the sun was oppressive, and no water near, he wished to go there as soon as possible.  They now put on their moccasins, and their chief, whose name was Cameahwait, made a short speech to the warriors.  Captain Lewis then gave him the flag, which he informed him was among white men the emblem of peace, and now that he had received it was to be in future the bond of union between them.  The chief then moved on, our party followed him, and the rest of the warriors in a squadron, brought up the rear.  After marching a mile they were halted by the chief, who made a second harangue, on which six or eight young men rode forward to their camp, and no further regularity was observed in the order of march.  At the distance of four miles from where they had first met, they reached the Indian camp, which was in a handsome level meadow on the bank of the river.  Here they were introduced into an old leathern lodge which the young men who had been sent from the party had fitted up for their reception.  After being seated on green boughs and antelope skins, one of the warriors pulled up the grass in the centre of the lodge so as to form a vacant circle of two feet diameter, in which he kindled a fire.  The chief then produced his pipe and tobacco, the warriors all pulled off their moccasins, and our party was requested to take off their own.  This being done, the chief lighted his pipe at the fire within the magic circle, and then retreating from it began a speech several minutes long, at the end of which he pointed the stem towards the four cardinal points of the heavens, beginning with the east and concluding with the north.  After this ceremony he presented the stem in the same way to captain Lewis, who supposing it an invitation to smoke, put out his hand to receive the pipe, but the chief drew it back, and continued to repeat the same offer three times, after which he pointed the stem first to the heavens, then to the centre of the little circle, took three whiffs himself, and presented it again to captain Lewis.  Finding that this last offer was in good earnest, he smoked a little, the pipe was then held to each of the white men, and after