The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-05-03

tNG1ktCGEHGI AStOL0 Copyright, 1916, by
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 ble in its stride and saw his compan- ion pass on, whooping in exultation at Weucha, who came up an instant lat CT, defeated, but grinning and offering his hand.
 Weucha, who came up to Lewis after magnanimously shaking the hand of William Clark, peered with curiosity into Lewis almost empty quiver. He smiled again, for that the white men had ridden we'll was obvious enough. He called q young man to him, showed his the arrow mark and sent him back to see how many of the dead buffalo showed arrows with similar marks
 In time the messenger came back car rying a sheaf of arrows. Grinning, he held up the fingers of two hands.
 Tell him that is nothing, Dorion, 5 said Lewis. "We could have killed many more if we had wished. We see that the Sioux can ride. Now let us see if they can talk at the council fire"
 The two leaders hastened to their own encampment to remove all traces of the hunt. An hour later they emerg- ed from their tents clad asv officers of the army, in cooked hat and full uni form, with sword az side.
 With the fall of the sun the drums sounded in the Indian village. The or;oro no oood oIopr +bo ofroof o,1Yi,. moning the people to the feast, sum- moning also the chiefs to the council lodge. Here the headmen of the viii lage gathered, sitting about the little fire, the peace pipe resting on forked stick before them, waiting for the ar rival of the white chiefs, who could make the thunder come and who, more over, could ride stripped and strike the buffalo even as the Sioux.
 |; The white leaders were in no haste to show themselves. They demanded the full dignity of their station, but they came at last, their own drum beating as they marched at the head of their men, all of whom were in uni form.
 Meriwether Lewis took the flag from the standard bearer as they reached the door of the council lodge and thrust the staff into the soil, so that it stood erect beside the lance and shield o1 Weucha, chief of the Yanktonnais. Then, leaving their own men on guard without, the two white chiefs stepped into the lodge and, with not too much attention to the chiefs sitting and waiting for them, took their own places in the seat of honor. They removed their hats, shook free their hair, which had been loosened from the cues. And so, in dignifed silence, not looking about them, they sat, their long locks spread out on their shoulders.
 i Exclamations of excitement broke even from the dignif1ed Sioux chiefs. Clearly the appearance and the con- duct of the two officers had made a good impression. The circle eyed them with respect. At length Meriwether Lewis, holding in his hand the great peace pipe that he had brought, arose.
 "Weucha," said he, Dorion interpret ing for him. 'you are headman of the Yanktonnais. I offer you this pipe. Let. us smoke We are at peace. We are children of the Great Father, and I do not bring war. I have put flag outside the lodge. It is your flag. You must keep it. Each night you must take it down, roll it up and put 1t in a parfeche, so that 1t will not be torn or soi1ed Whenever you have great feast or meet other peoples let 1t fly at your door. It is because you are 8 chief that give you this flag. gave one to the Omahas, another to the Otoes. Let there be no more war be tween you. You are under one flag i now.
 | T give you this medal, Weucha, this picture on white metal See! It has the picture of the Great Father him. 1 self. my chief, who lives where the sun rises. I also give you this writ ing, where I have made my sign and where the red headed chief, my broth CT, has made his sign. Keep these things, 50 that any one who comes here may know that you are our friends, 1 that you are the children of the Great | Father.
 'Weucha, they told US that the 1, Sioux were bad in heart, that you would say we could not go up the riv- CT. Our Great Father has sent us up the river, and we must go. Tomorrow our boats must go on their course. If the Great Father has such medicine as this give you do you think we could go back to him and say the Sioux would not let us pass? You have seen that we are not afraid, that we are chtefs-we can do what you can do. Can you do what we can? Can you make the thunder come? Are any of your men able to strike the eye of a deer, the head of a grouse, at ffty paces with therrife? All of my men can do that. @s
 q give you these presents these lace coats for your great men, these hats also, such as, we wear, because you are our brothers and are chiefs. A lit tie powder, few balls, give you, be- cause we think you want them. give you little tobacco for your pipes. If