numerous than
mosquitoes, were crowding in on the prairies. They had nothing but
peace in their hearts, but still he could not help thinking that a
treaty ought to be made with them before the fire canoe or the surveyor
came. They were powerless themselves to speak before the Queen's
representative, the Governor. They had heard of the Missionary's love
for the Indian, and so they had sent across the great Winnipeg for him,
and their hearts were glad that he had come. With their right hands
they had fired off their guns, which all said, "Welcome!" With his left
hand he had handed the pipe of peace, which also from the heart again
said, "Welcome!" Their hearts were all glad that with their eyes they
saw the Missionary among them. Their ears were now open to hear what he
had to say about their future, and what he thought the Queen's men would
do for them.

Then he sat down on his mat, and I rose up and in reply said: "Before I
dare talk to you about treaties, and lands, and your future for this
life, and that of your children, I must speak about something more
important."

This seemed to astonish them, and they said: "What has he got to talk
about that is more important than the treaty?"

"Yes," I answered, "I have something more important than the treaty, and
something to say about One greater than the Queen, or the Governor she
sends; for I must first talk about our great God, Whom the Queen and we
all must love if we would be happy. The Great Spirit, our good Father
in heaven, wants to make a treaty with us; and if we will be willing to
comply with His conditions, it will be the best treaty ever made, for it
will bring us joy and happiness for this life and the life to come."

Loud were their words of approval that I should thus speak to them; and
so I preached to them, making use of my trusted and careful interpreter,
Timothy Bear, who is as thorough a master of the Saulteaux language as
he is of the Cree. Considering that it was the first sermon they had
ever heard, and that their ideas of our worship were very crude, they
behaved remarkably well, seeing they were a crowd of plumed and painted
savages, and Saulteaux besides. They kept up a constant smoking through
all the service, except when we were singing or at prayer. Men, women,
and children were all at it, and it seemed as though they were always at
it.

Before I got through my sermon I was almost suffocated by the smoke.
The cloud, not that fo