Page:Don Coronado through Kansas.djvu/355

838 HONBBT INJUN, "j Before^roeeedinglet it be recorded that although <Mil7 thii^-ktz men comprised the expedition which tray^sed their territory, yet no word of complaint is recrarde^ by the S[paniards of their receiving other than the most courteous and considerate treatment, and the translations so far published make no men- tion of losing a single article by theft; and when it is considered what a temptation it must have been to the cMldren of the prairie, it compels the presump- tion that they were honest, and more than that, were not bloodthirsty; for how easy it would have been for any of the tribes to have annihilated the party! Again, it is, a fact that Father Padilla with several others did return, whic^ undoubtedly demonstrates the friend- ship prevailing. Many citations could be here given wherein the Osages received the encomiums of those who were familiar with them. A missionary in a report made to the Government in 1820, said: "The men are gener- ally of a lofty stature, of a fine form, and of a frank and open countenance. In council they are dignified, and their speeches eloquent." Missionaries Chap- man and Vinallsaid of them in December, 1821: "Saw White Hair again today. He says that the meddling traders who are among them will be a great hin- drance to our success in obtaining their children, as they are scattering the people. It appears that there are some traders among them that contrive every plan and adopt every kind of artifice and intrigue to lead or drive the Indians away from the trading houses established by the Government in order to gain the trade themselves. White Hair says he thinks