Page:Don Coronado through Kansas.djvu/308

INIttANS HOBSB STEALING. 291 to Cantonment, Leavenworth, to procure our escort and supplies, we passed the Shawnee council-house, which was a few miles out from the Missouri State line, south of the Kansas river. There we found a company of thirty-five Kaw Indians engaged in a coancn with the Shawnees. The latter invited my lather to attend the council. This he v;a3 glad to do, as our work would lead us near the Kaw villages, and it was necessary that my father should give some ex- planation of his design in surveying in order to avoid exciting their jealousy and exposing us to danger. There was ground for precautionary measures. The Kaws and Pawnees were hereditary enemiej, and at this time were at war, or more correctly speaking, in their never-ending contest to ascertain which could steal the most horses and scalps from the other. A party of Kaws had recently stolen nine horses from the Pawnees, and two other parties were at this very time out on like expeditions. As much of our work lay between these two tribes, we were hable to find ourselves between two fires as it were. "We had rea- son to fear that if the Kaws should not succeed to their satisfaction, in their descent upon the Paw- nees, they might endeavor to make up for their lack of plunder from our party; and if they should succeed in their incursion upon the Pawnees, the latter might follow them, and be led on to us with a like disposi- tion to make up for their losses. In view of our pos- sible danger from the Pawnees, at the request of my father, Major John Dougherty, their agent, had the goodness to send an express to invite their chiefs in- to a council at Fort Leavenworth. This precaution