the withered
crone cooked the fish that she caught.

Strange visitors came to the lodge, among them an Indian girl who brought
her old, withered father strapped upon her back. The aged Indian wished to
pay his last respects to Umatilla.

Indians of other tribes came, and they were usually entertained at a
feast, and in the evening were invited to dance about the whispering tree.

The song for the reception of strangers, which was sung at the dance, was
curious, and it was accompanied by striking the hand upon the breast over
the heart at the words "Here, here, here":

"You resemble a friend of mine,
A friend I would have in my heart--
Here, here, _here_.

"My heart is linked to thine;
You are like a friend of mine--
Here, here, _here_.

"Are we not brothers, then;
Shall we not meet again--
Here, here, _here_?

"Mi, yes, we brothers be,
So my fond heart sings to thee--
Here, here, _here_.

"Ah! yes, we brothers be;
Will you not answer me--
Here, here, _here_?"

Gretchen was happy in the new kind of life. She did not fear the Indians;
in fact, the thing that she feared most was the promised visit of Mrs.
Woods. She was sure that her foster-mother's spirit would change toward
the Indians, but the change had not yet come.

One evening the schoolmaster came to call. He was bent upon a mission, as
always. The family gave him a seat outside of the tent, and gathered
around him, and they talked until the stars came out and were mirrored in
the Columbia.

One of the first questions asked by the old chief was, "Is Eagle's Plume
(Benjamin) brave?" (a good scholar).

"Yes, brave at times; he must learn to be brave always. He must always
keep his better self. The world would be good if people would learn to
keep their better selves. Do you see?"

"Yes."

"A chief should conquer himself first; obey the will of the Great
Manitou--do you see?"

"Yes, but how can we know his will?"

"It is his will that we be our best minds. Forgive, and so make bad people
good, and return good for bad. Do you see?"

"Yes, boy, do you see?" (to Benjamin).

"Yes, yes, I see what white man means. But white man do not so. He
cheat--he kill."

"_Boston tilicum_, what do you say?" asked the chief.

"White man does not follow his best heart when he cheats and kills. It is
wrong. All men should be brothers--see?"

"Yes, I have tried