On the 12th, I was invited by the Aricara chiefs. After smoking the calumet, I opened the council by announcing to them the motives of my coming. just as among their brethren the Mandans and Grosventres, my words were listened to with religious attention, and approved. The head chief, Net-soo-taka, or White Parfleche, made me a long and handsome response, very much to the purpose. Then I had to listen to and condole with a succession of complaints of their enemies and the Government agents.
The meeting lasted three hours, or thereabouts. Then the men left the lodge and gave place to the mothers and their
babies. I took my place in the middle of the lodge, seated on a buffalo-skin, and all the small children, to the number of 103, were presented to me by twos to receive baptism.
On the 13th we had an alarm in the camp. A band of Sioux were perceived in the neighborhood. After having killed a Grosventre, wounded an Aricara and stolen some horses, they gained the open and escaped pursuit.
I will add a circumstance which has contributed considerably to increase the Indian's respect for our holy religion. Last year, in consequence of an excessive drought, the harvest had been very meagre; they had hardly got enough for this year's seeding. Hoping for better results this time, these poor people had worked hard and put in something like a thousand acres. All their farm implements were a few mattocks and poor spades, with crooked or pointed sticks and shoulder-blades of buffaloes. After preparing this land in this manner, they had sowed it. Unluckily, this year again the spring had been without rain or even dew. Corn and other vegetables were not growing and their hope of a good crop was fast vanishing again. The Indians were feeling very bad about it. At the meeting on the 12th, they begged me to implore the aid of heaven to obtain them an abundant rain, that would fertilize their lands. " Black-robe," they said, " you who have such
power, can you not also make a little rain come? " I answered them that I had not that power, that the Great