CHAPTER V.
INDIAN ANECDOTES.
Principle governing courtships -The minister and the vowing savage -Brotherhood - Lying- A Blackfoot episode - A cherry-tree feud- On the destination of Calvinist ministers.
HERE' was an old Indian chief, who was a great observer. He had spent several years among the whites, and he said that the Indians not only had quicker ways of getting a wife, but were at the same time more certain of getting a good one. " Because," said he, in his bad French, " white man spark, spark, long time - maybe whole year, maybe two years, before marry. All right! Maybe wife good - maybe heap bad; maybe scold. Suppose wife scold; get up in morning, scold, all day scold, scold till go to sleep. Maybe scold, maybe not scold - all same thing; white man have to keep her long as live. How Indian do? Indian, see girl plenty work -go up to her, show her two finger right hand, heap close - two finger all same one - Indian look at girl, see girl smile - all right! Girl say yes. Then make feast and live together. No danger wife scold - wife know what husband do when wife scold. Husband run off, hide! Indian woman like heap buffalo meat, deer meat -no husband, no buffalo, no deer. Wife heap try please husband - husband heap try please wife - all live happy together, all same fingers on hand."
Once a Protestant dominie was preaching to the Indians, and took for his text " Make vows to the Lord your God, and keep those vows." As soon as the preaching was over,
1 From a letter in French to his niece, Rosalie, July, 1855. 114161