The Travellers Were
Next Ushered To The Banquet, Where All The Choicest Viands That
The Village Could Furnish, Were Served Up In Rich Profusion.
They
were afterwards entertained by feats of agility and horseraces;
indeed, their visit to the village seemed the signal for complete
festivity.
In the meantime, a skin lodge had been spread for
their accommodation, their horses and baggage were taken care of,
and wood and water supplied in abundance. At night, therefore,
they retired to their quarters, to enjoy, as they supposed, the
repose of which they stood in need. No such thing, however, was
in store for them. A crowd of visitors awaited their appearance,
all eager for a smoke and a talk. The pipe was immediately
lighted, and constantly replenished and kept alive until the
night was far advanced. As usual, the utmost eagerness was
evinced by the guests to learn everything within the scope of
their comprehension respecting the Americans, for whom they
professed the most fraternal regard. The captain, in his replies,
made use of familiar illustrations, calculated to strike their
minds, and impress them with such an idea of the might of his
nation, as would induce them to treat with kindness and respect
all stragglers that might fall in their path. To their inquiries
as to the numbers of the people of the United States, he assured
them that they were as countless as the blades of grass in the
prairies, and that, great as Snake River was, if they were all
encamped upon its banks, they would drink it dry in a single day.
To these and similar statistics, they listened with profound
attention, and apparently, implicit belief.
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