I welcome you to my camp and to my people.
You can rest in safety, without a thought of fear, because our hearts
are now good to you--because we hope that the words you are going to
speak to us will make us glad that you have come. We know that you have
come a long way to see us. We feel that you are going to give us or
send us presents which will gladden the hearts of all my people.

"I know that you must be very tired, and as I see that your tents are
pitched it would make our hearts glad to walk over to your village with
you, where you can rest and sleep well, and we hope that you will dream
of the many good things are going to send us and tell us when you
rested.

"I have sent to your tents the choicest of young buffalo, deer, and
antelope, and if there is anything else in my camp which will make your
hearts glad I will be pleased to send it to you. If any of your horses
should stray away, my young men will bring them back to you."

As the old chief concluded, General Sherman, rising, shook his hand and
said:

"My red brother, your beautiful and romantic reception has deeply
touched the hearts of my friends and myself. We most heartily thank you
for it. When we are rested, and after we have slept in your wild
prairie city, we should like to hold a council with the chiefs and
warriors congregated here."

When the officers returned to their own camp they agreed that the feast
was very grand, that the Indian maidens who served it were very pretty
in their gay costumes and beautiful moccasins. Most of them, however,
had observed that the hands of the squaws who did the cooking looked as
if they had not touched water for several months. It stuck in the
memory of some of the guests that, in their efforts to clean the
tinware, the squaws had left more soap in the corners than was
necessary. The coffee had a strong flavor of soap.

"If we are going to have a banquet every day," said one officer, "I
think I'll do my eating in our own camp."

[Illustration: CHIEF SATANTA PASSED THE PEACE-PIPE TO GENERAL SHERMAN
AND SAID: "MY GREAT WHITE BROTHERS"]

General Sherman reminded him that this would be highly impolite to the
hosts, and ordered them, as soldiers, to make the best of the
entertainment and to line up for mess when the Indians made a feast.

At ten o'clock the next morning the first session of the great council
was held. For three days the white chiefs and the red chiefs sat in a
circle under the canopy, and