that direction.’  These signals are constantly changed, and are always agreed upon when the party goes out or before it separates.  The Indians send their signals very intelligently, and seldom make mistakes in telegraphing each other by these silent monitors.  The amount of information they can communicate by fires and burning arrows is perfectly wonderful.  Every war party carries with it bundles of signal arrows.” (Belden, The White Chief; or Twelve Years among the Wild Indians of the Plains. Cincinnati and New York, 1871, pp. 106, 107.)

With regard to the above, it is possible that white influence has been felt in the mode of signaling as well as in the use of gunpowder, but it would be interesting to learn if any Indians adopted a similar expedient before gunpowder was known to them.  They frequently used arrows, to which flaming material was attached, to set fire to the wooden houses of the early colonists.  The Caribs were acquainted with this same mode of destruction as appears by the following quotation: 

“Their arrows were commonly poisoned, except when they made their military excursions by night; on these occasions they converted them into instruments of still greater mischief; for, by arming the points with pledgets of cotton dipped in oil, and set on fire, they fired whole villages of their enemies at a distance.” (Alcedo.  The Geograph. and Hist.  Dict. of America and the West Indies.  Thompson’s trans. London, 1812, Vol.  I, p. 314.)

DUST SIGNALS.

When an enemy, game, or anything else which was the special object of search is discovered, handfulls of dust are thrown into the air to announce that discovery.  This signal has the same general signification as when riding to and fro, or, round in a circle on an elevated portion of ground, or a bluff. (Dakota VII, VII.)

When any game or any enemy is discovered, and should the sentinel be without a blanket, he throws a handful of dust up into the air.  When the Brules attacked the Ponkas, in 1872, they stood on the bluff and threw up dust. (Omaha I; Ponka I.)

There appears to be among the Bushmen a custom of throwing up sand or earth into the air when at a distance from home and in need of help of some kind from those who were there. (Miss L.C.  Lloyd, MS. Letter, dated July 10, 1880, from Charlton House, Mowbray, near Cape Town, Africa.)

NOTES ON CHEYENNE AND ARAPAHO SIGNALS.

The following information was obtained from WA-U[n]’(Bobtail),
MO-HI’-NUK’-MA-HA’-IT (Big horse), Cheyennes, and O-QO-HIS’-SA (The
Mare, better known as “Little Raven"), and NA’-WATC (Left Hand),
Arapahos, chiefs and members of a delegation who visited Washington,
D.C., in September, 1880, in the interest of their tribes dwelling in
Indian Territory: