Includes bibliographical references (p. [265]-312) and index.
Contents
Preparing the way : a cacophony of confusion, misinformation, and alarm -- Across the wide Missouri : first impressions of Indian country -- A mutual bargain : trade on the Overland Trail -- Seeing the elephant : Indian assistance to beleaguered overlanders -- Humanizing the experience : getting to know strangers as friends -- Accruing the benefits : friends as advocates and benefactors -- Responding to the alarm : bison, epidemics, burials, and fires -- Massacred by Indians : an exaggerated tale -- Captivity infinitely worse than death : an exaggerated tale -- From cooperation to conflict : a more dangerous world begins -- Conclusion.
