Page:Don Coronado through Kansas.djvu/275

258 LEAVING MANHATTAN. demonstrate his friendship, and so did all the chiefs ; it was understood by the chief of the Osage nation that the party after visiting the Pawnees and the Kan- sans at the city of the Twenty-four should then pro- ceed south on their way home, sojourning for a few days at their Missouri vUlage, one of the homes of the "Strong Men, " the strangers being made to under- stand that they would receive such a reof^tion as never before. It was about nine o'clock in the morning when our people got fairly started, and what with the Paw- nees who were returning home, the Omahas, who lived in the same direction as the last named, and a goodly number of Kansans whose abode was in the northeast portion of Quivira, there were others who were so overpowered with curiosity, that, like a boy fol- lowing soldiers marching with a band, they could not resist the desire to view the wonderful sight as long as possible; and we must not forget the fifty war- riors assigned the duty of protecting and guiding the new friends. The hunters had already gone before, it being arranged that they were to have sufScient commissary at the camping place selected for the first evening, which was about three miles east of Louis- vUle, Pottawatomie county, on the Red Vermillion. The route selected was over a country without settle- ment, so there was abundant game. Camp was reach- ed rather early in the afternoon, because the horses were fresh and there was a well defined trail: so on reaching their destination the first evening, Alonso, in company with Monte and Ysopete, took in the sights as it were. It was new to Alonso to witness a