be brief, I was awake and up all night, making play with my hands, fingers and nails to defend myself against the fleas and their comrades in evil-doing, the mosquitos, the bedbugs, the ants, the spiders, et omne genus muscarum. As you will perceive, dear Father, all is not gold that glitters. The more beautiful and consoling had been the day, among those good Indians, who lent such earnest attention to my words, the more sorry and troubled was the night. Take what precautions I would for the night, during my fortnight among the Yanktons, and with all my fruitful and consoling relations with them on each day - I spent all my hours instructing them and baptizing their little ones and those about to die - still each night I must go on the warpath afresh against the common enemy, the veritable
scourge of this region. But of course, putting miseries and consolations in the balance, the latter outweigh as much as light surpasses darkness.
The results of my mission among the Yanktons have been very happy. I have baptized all the little children that were in the camp, about loo in number, together with some fifteen adults, among whom I count the head chief of the
tribe with his spouse. I think a little notice of the life and character of this head chief may please you. I will transcribe it from the notes in my journal.
On the 6th of this month (July) I baptized solemnly the head chief of the Yankton tribe, named Pananniapapi, or Man that Strikes the Ree. His tribe numbers in the neighborhood of 450 lodges, say 3,000 souls. He is a remarkable man, the descendant of a long line of chiefs recognized for their bravery in war against their enemies, but still more for their wisdom in the councils of the Dakota nation, which numbers 35,000 to 40,000 souls. I met Pananniapapi first
in 1844. He recalled all the circumstances to me. I had at that time, he says, long talks with him regarding our
holy religion. I exhorted him to pray the Master of Life to make him worthy to enter some day into the bosom of
Jesus Christ, and become a worthy child of his Church. He