delight your letters afford us and our dear Indians. God be
praised! Your name will be ever held in benediction among these poor children of the Rocky Mountains. Ah ! how often they ask me these questions: " When, oh when! will Father De Smet come to us? Will he ever again ascend the Missouri? Is it true that he will not come to Fort Benton this fall? " These, and many other similar questions, show how dear to them is the remembrance of their father in Christ; of him who first broke to them the bread of eternal life, and showed them the true way to happiness on earth and bliss hereafter. It is not strange, then, that your letters should have been read several times, and that every time they gave us new pleasure and excited new interest.
I can never cease admiring Divine Providence, which presides over all, and which in particular takes care of our beloved missions. Among the unnumbered proofs of its continual protection, your assistance in our late distress, and the liberality of our benefactors, are not less remarkable nor less worthy of our gratitude. Our storehouses were empty, and the war between the Indians nearest the seaboard took away all hope of procuring other resources. Never, never was charity more appropriate nor received with greater joy. May heaven prolong your days and those of our benefactors! May you continue to foster the same interest toward us that, until the present moment, you have never ceased to testify! Yes, beloved father, let the recollection of our missions be ever equally dear to you. They are the fruit of your own heroic zeal, fatigues and labors. Ah! never forget our dear Indians; they are your children in Christ, the offspring of your boundless charity and your unwearied zeal!
During the months of June, July and August, disease raged cruelly in our camp, as well as in that of the Flatheads. However, there were few victims of its terrible attacks.
Father Menetrey, my colaborer, visited the Flatheads, where he had been asked for by the chief, Fidelis Teltella (Thunder), whose son was dangerously ill. Later, I visited