On the afternoon of that day a band of savages, mounted on fine horses, made their appearance near the camp, and looked upon the white men with great curiosity.  It was soon learned that they were Pawnees, and with some little trouble they were enticed to come in, and a talk was had with their leader.  They proved to be a party out after some Osages who had stolen a number of horses.  They had been lucky enough to overtake them, and had killed nearly all the thieves, regained their horses, and had a number of the enemies’ scalps.  The Pawnees had met Captain Lewis the year before, and having received some presents from him were inclined to regard the whites as a friendly people.  This impression the captain further confirmed by himself making them gifts of some tobacco and trifling trinkets.  They were shown around the camp, and seemed to sympathize deeply with the sick man, who was lying on his blankets in a dying condition.  They gathered some roots from the prairie, and assured the captain that if the man would take them he would certainly recover; they also urged their manner of sweating and bathing, but the appliances were not at hand, so the advice had to be declined.[8]

That evening the sick man died; an event that was looked for, but not so soon.  His body was immediately wrapped in his blanket and deposited in a grave.  On the bark of a tree standing near, his name, “William Hamilton,” and the date of his death were rudely carved with a jack-knife by one of the party.

Early in the morning the occupants of the camp were shocked at the sight of a pack of wolves most industriously at work on the grave trying to unearth the body of their unfortunate comrade.  All the men suddenly and almost simultaneously attempted to fire their rifles at the pack, but were checked by the captain, who urged that the report of their arms might bring down upon them a band of Indians who were not so friendly as the Pawnees.  With great difficulty the wolves were driven off, and the grave was covered with heavy logs and the largest stones that could be procured in the vicinity.

The party then continued on their journey, feeling very sad over the loss of Hamilton, for he was beloved by all on account of his sterling qualities.

In the afternoon a great commotion was noticed far ahead of them on the prairie.  At first they could not determine its cause, but presently the captain, bringing his glass to bear upon the objects, discovered it to be a small band of wolves in full chase after a superannuated buffalo bull, which had been driven out of the herd by the younger ones.