not take us long to make ourselves at home. All seemed animated and enchanted and went joyously to work. The
hunters came in with four fine antelope. It would be diffi
cult to run down an antelope. It is spoken of as an extraordinary achievement, that one young Indian of my escort, pursuing one of these animals, by pushing his horse at top speed succeeded in lodging two arrows in the animal's body. The hunter makes use of a stratagem, he imitates the cry of distress of the young ones, and when the antelope stops to look, he gets in his shot.
While some busied themselves about the arrangement of their beds, composed of the small branches of willows and cottonwoods, others hastened to kindle fires, fill the kettles and coffeepots and arrange rows of roasts on sharpened sticks, to content the inner man, or rather our famished stomachs, to use a more vulgar expression. Every Indian is the owner of an excellent stomach, and, according to my observation, a large capacity; the four antelope, together with a quantity of etceteras brought from Fort Rice, disappeared rapidly at the first supper. Then, for their digestion's sake, they dance around a few times, with the most active movements of arms and legs, accompanied with joyful songs at the top of their voices, suited to the circum
stances in which they find themselves at the moment. Then they sit down, and while the inseparable calumet goes its slow rounds from mouth to mouth, they talk and argue upon the affairs of the day, tell stories, give their experiences in the chase or their exploits in war, laugh and joke until
sleep overcomes them, when they go to bed. I took occasion to give them various lectures, instructing them in the good custom of offering their prayers of devotion to the Great Spirit, every morning on arising and before going to bed at night.
June 4th. After passing a good and tranquil night, we rose early for the second day's travel. We quickly light the fires again, prepare the kettles and hot water, say the morning prayers, take in haste our cup of coffee, our slice of meat