bore himself as one of their party, and the
dark Canadian, Dubois, who was not far away, also accepted the situation
in its entirety. Tayoga, too, confirmed it thoroughly and now that St.
Luc was with him on a footing of friendship Robert felt more deeply than
ever the charm of his manner and talk. It seemed to him that the
chevalier had the sincerity and honesty of de Galisonniere, with more
experience and worldly wisdom, his experience and worldly wisdom
matching those of de Courcelles with a great superiority in sincerity
and honesty.

The three quickly became the five. St Luc and Dubois being accepted were
accepted without reserve, although Dubois seldom spoke, seeming to
consider himself the shadow of his chief. The next day the five stood
together and witnessed the confessions of sins in the council grove,
the religious ceremony that always preceded the Maple Dance.

Tododaho spoke to the sachems, the chiefs and the multitude upon their
crimes and faults, the necessity for repentance and of resolution to do
better in the future. Robert saw but little difference between his
sermon and that of a minister in the Protestant faith in which he had
been reared. Manitou was God and God was Manitou. The Iroquois and the
white men had traveled by different roads, but they had arrived at
practically the same creed and faith. The feeling that for the time
being he was an Iroquois in a white man's skin was yet strong upon him.

Many of the Indian sachems and chiefs were men of great eloquence, and
the speech of Tododaho amid such surroundings, with the breathless
multitude listening, was impressive to the last degree. Its solemnity
was increased, when he held aloft a belt of white wampum, and,
enumerating his own sins, asked Manitou to forgive him. When he had
finished he exclaimed, "Naho," which meant, "I have done." Then he
passed the wampum to Tonessaah, who also made his confession, and all
the other sachems and chiefs did the same, the people, too, joining with
intense fervor in the manifestation.

A huge banquet of all that forest, river and field afforded was spread
the next morning, and at noon athletic games, particularly those with
the ball, in which the red man excelled long before the white man came,
began and were played with great energy and amid intense excitement. At
the same time the great Feather Dance, religious in its nature, was
given by twelve young warriors and twelve young girls, dressed in their
mo