Up to this time the darkey cook had not been seen since I came
over the hill in company with those Indians. A certain lady in the
train said she thought that when he saw the Indians coming he had
run off and hid in the sage brush, but after the fires were
started he crawled out of one of the wagons where he had been hid,
and claimed that he had been asleep all this time and did not know
anything about any "Injuns," but it was a difficult matter to make
the people in the train believe this yarn. I had the Indians build
their fire outside of the corral, and while they were preparing
their meat I went around and collected bread enough of different
ones in the train for them, also a bowl of molasses. After all had
their supper over I proposed to the Indians that we have a dance.
This dance is what they call a dance of peace, and is carried on
in a manner like this: They--or all that wish to participate in
the dance--form in a circle around the camp-fire, singing, or
rather humming, a certain tune. I went to the people of the train
and told them that the Indians and myself were going to have a
peace dance, and all that wished to see it could come to the camp-
fire and look on. I think every man, woman and child came out to
see the dance, which lasted about two hours. After the dance was
over one of the young Indians in the crowd came to me and said if
I would interpret for him he would be pleased to make a speech for
my friends, providing they were willing for him to do so.
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