baptism, I return him thanks for this favor, and offer him my heart and life."
A solemn mass was celebrated, during which the Indian,-, chanted canticles in praise of God. The ceremonies of baptism followed, and all terminated in the most perfect order, to the great delight and edification of the savages. It was indeed a most imposing spectacle; all around contributed to heighten the effect. The noble and gigantic rock, the distant roar of the cataracts breaking in on the religious silence of that solitude, situated on an eminence overlooking the powerful Oregon river, and on the spot where the impetuous waters, freeing themselves from their limits, rush in fury and dash over a pile of rocks, casting upwards a thousand jets deau, whose transparent columns reflect in varied colors the rays of the dazzling sun.
There were besides the Skoyelpi or Chaudiere Indians, the Sinpoils and the Zingomines, and several Kalispels, Indians from the great lakes of the Columbia and Okinagans, accompanied me in the capacity of singers and catechists.
I gave the name of St. Paul to the Skoyelpi nation, and placed under the care of St. Peter the tribe inhabiting the shores of the great Columbia lakes, whither Father Hocken is about to repair, to continue instructing and baptizing their adults. My presence among the Indians did not interrupt their fine and abundant fishery. An enormous basket was fastened to a projecting rock, and the finest fish of the Columbia, as if by fascination, cast themselves by dozens into the snare. Seven or eight times during the day these baskets were examined, and each time were found to contain about 250 salmon. The Indians, meanwhile, were seen on every projecting rock. piercing the fish with the greatest dexterity [with spears].
They who know not this territory may accuse me of exaggeration, when I affirm that it would be as easy to the pebbles so profusely scattered on the shores, as to sum up the number of different kinds of fish which this