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Show 2::10 THE CALIFORNIA AND OREGON TRAIL. every day till yesterday. See the village there; don't that look like good living ?' In fact I could see, even at that distance, that long cords were stretched from lodge to lodge, over which the meat, cut by the squaws into thin sheets, was hanging to dry in the sun. I noticed too that the village was somewhat smaller than when I had last seen it, and I asked Reynal the cause. He said that old Le Borgre had felt too weak to pass over the mountains, and so had remained behind with all his re. la6ons, including Mahto-Tatonka and his brothers. The "\tVhirlwind too had been unwilling to come so far, because, as Reynal said, he was afraid. Only half a dozen lodges had adhered to him, the main-body of the village setting their chief's authority at naught, and taking the course most agreea. ble to their inclinations. ' What chiefs are there in the village now ?' said I. 'Well,' said Reynal, 'there's old Red-Water, and the Eagle-Feather, and the Big Crow, and the Mad Wolf and the Panther, and the White-Shield, and what's his name ?-the half. breed Shienne.' By this time we were close to the village, and I observed that while the greater part of the lodges were very large and neat in their appearance th . · . , me was at one s1de a cluster of squalid, miserable huts. I looked toward them, and made some remark about their wretched . B . appea1 ance. ut I was touchmg upon delicate ground. 'My squ aw ' s re 1a t1· 0ns h·v e I•n those lodges,' said Reyna!, very warmly ' and th . · , b . . , ' ere Isn t a etter set In the whole VIllage. ' Are there any chiefs among them 1' asked I. ' Chiefs ?' said Reyna} ; , yes, plenty !' • THE OGILLALLAH VILLAGE. 231 'What are their names?' I inquired. 'Their names? Why, there's the Arrow-Head. If he isn't a chief he ought to be one. And there's the Hail-Storm. He's nothing but a boy, to be sure ; but he's bound to be a chief one of these days!' Just then we passed between two of the lodges, and entered the great area of the village. Superb, naked figures stood silently gazing on us. 'Where's the Bad Wound's lodge ?' said I to Reynal. 'There you've missed it again! The Bad Wound is away with the Whirlwind. If you could have found him here, and gone to live in his lodge, he would have treated you better than any man in the village. But there's the Big Crow's lodge yonder, next to old Red-Water's. He's a good Indian for the whites, and I advise you to go and live with him.' 'Are there many squaws and children in his lodge?' said I. 'No; only one squaw and two or three children. He keeps the rest in a separate lodge by themselves.' So, still followed by a crowd of Indians, Raymond and I rode up to the entrance of the Big Crow's lodge. A squaw came out immediately and took our horses. I put aside the leather flap that covered the low opening, and stooping, entered the Big Crow's dwelling. There I could see the chief in the dim light, seated at one side, on a pile of buffalo-robes. He greeted me with a guttural ' How, cola!' I requested Reynal to tell him that Raymond and I were come to live with him . The Big Crow gave another low exclamation. If the reader thinks that we were intruding somewhat cavalierly, I beg him to observe that every Indian in the village would have deemed |