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work hnid at it , but don't appear to hit
very often. Everybody , here is pic
turesque ; one boy has a red handker
chief oyor his head , his face painted ,
yellow , and wide yellow buckskin ,
breeches with farmer-boy suspenders.
They are not so savage as'they look ;
say "Hello" to them as they run past
and they shout back "Hello. " A short
"Howgh I" as deep in your throat as
can get it is , however , the usual saluta
tion ; but oven this you can't always
count on. Two young bucks in full
paint , passing by on a run , respond to a
solemn "How" with a friendly "Good
morning. " And here is a tepee with a
bicycle leaning by its entrance , and there
is an Indian brass band , which the
white policemen seem to think the fea
ture of the congress.
Here now is something genuine. On
the grass before an out-of-the-way lodge
in the Sioux section sit half-a-dozen of
the elders in a circle , stern-visaged old
warriors , paying no heed to the curious
passer. They are doing something , but
what it is is beyond unaided conjecture ;
there is no sound from them save an oc
casional grunt , but their hands are in
motion ; they hold up one , two , three
fingers , point upward and downward ,
and chop at each other as if counting.
Is it prayer perhaps , or merely conver
sation ?
They don't talk much , these old In
dians , but their sign-language is devel
oped to a point that is incredible until
you see what they do with it.
You wonder at not being importuned
to buy anything at quadruple price.
There appears to be no merchandise of
fered , but if this happens to be the
one part of the fair of which you would
like to have a relic , you may , after some
inquiry , be directed to an inconspicuous
tepee , where you are told you may find
something , if you are lucky. Stooping
at its entrance , you find that you are in
truding upon a silent conclave. Foui
or five of the serious old men and a
couple of old women are sitting arounc
011 the blankets. All their eyes are upon
you , but nobody stirs. You say' 'How , ' '
they say "How. " No opposition being
made , you enter and seat yourself in
the opening of the circle. They are
smoking ; that is , each in turn is taking
a few pulls at the long , heavy-handlec
pipe. It is not offered you , but if you
signify a willingness to partake it will
be gravely passed to you. You can pro
ceed to business whenever you like. I :
it is moccasins you want you can easily
signify that ; there is a grunt hero and
there , and presently there will appear
from somewhere a pair that you wil
probably find , when you get home , fi
you exactly. Payment is easy. Yoi
offer a suitable assortment of coins to
the nearest warrior , and he picks ou
the right ones , which will come to abou
one-third of what you expected to pay
if you have ever bought such things o
a dealer. Then , if you. have be
laved yourself , well , he will .shako .
lands with you into the .bargain , , and
you can withdraw ; and you needn't ex-
) ect him to wrap up your purchase.
'By far the most curious feature of'this
lay is the arrival of a band of newcom
ers , Flatheads from Montana. They
appear marching by twos from the gate
11 the southwest comer , two exposition
officials in front , not looking very glad ,
and in the rear the wildest looking old
savage on the grounds , having a long
fringe of reddish hair hanging all
around his head , from which it stands
out some six inches. This it afterwards
appears is not his own hair , but purely
lecorative ; he is a very respectable
chief , and a judge in his nation , and has
) een to Washington. The line is halted
> y the washhouses on the south side ,
and immediately there begins a running
Tom all parts of the grounds , of braves
lasteiiiug up to shake hands with the
lewly-arrived. Your suspicions are
aroused , and yon think they perhaps
lave not been parted very long ; but
EEeaveii at this point sends a man with
a badge on his hat , who has lived among
; hein and knows their language , and he
says that not only were they all straug
ers until they met here , but that many
of them are of tribes that have been hos-
bile time out of mind. So you turn
again to watching them , with the little
knot of visitors that has collected ; some
telephone linemen have come down
from their poles and joined the group ;
and on come the welcoming braves ,
Foxes , Blackfeet , Ohippewas , Brule-
Sioux , "Wiimebagoes , the young men
running , the old men pacing soberly up
in their utmost pomp ; and each one
goes down the line , giving a "Howgh ! "
and a handshake at every step. "Look
at'ni , would ye ? " we say ; "think he'll
shake hands with the squaws ? Not by
ad sight. " But the next is a chiv
alrous brave , who gives the little Flathead -
head women the same welcome as theh
husbands. These are not so noble-
looking a lot as some of the Sioux for in
stance ; the men are rather young , and
grin like Chinamen , as if they were be
ing tickled in the ribs ; but no smile
visits the old judge in the rear ; his eyes
dodge watchfully about behind his
fringe of horsehair.
Presently they move on , and wo cal
on the man with the badge to tell us
this and that. He has three bundles of
toilet paper under his arm , and is in some
authority over the Indians ; ho stops frequently
quently to shout some directions in theii
tongue , which is a sonorously-bounding
speech , all accents , as it comes from his
mouth. The Indians never seem to
shout , unless a "Ho ! " to draw atten
tion ; their speaking is a mutter of con
sonants and swallowings , with no vowe
sounds apparent.
This gentleman tells us that ho i
crazy anyway , but that he would have
been plumb demented if ho had triec
o learn any more Indian languages.He * . .
s interrupted , by .a shame-faced warier -
ior who it seems wants to take a. bath.
Our friend conducts him to an appart-
nont in the washhouse , with much
'rantic expostulation , from the soundof.
t , and returns to us. It seems that the
Indians are very cleanly and much devoted -
voted to the use of water , but are unable
; o distinguish clearly at times between
she different uses that the white man
nits it to. Some of his applications of
it fill them with surprise and even terror
at first. "Why , yesterday and his hands
jegin to go apart to illustrate the forthcoming - .
coming anecdote with a measurement
[ had to get the plumber but here a
calling is heard from the bathroom , and
10 runs to learn the needs of the chief
within , one eye of whom is burning
jrightly around the edge-of the slightly
opened door. It appears that ho has
forgotten the soap , and is timid about. ,
coming out after it ; probably having
orders on that head. Soap is supplied ,
and our linguist comes back to regale
us with unnecessarily ribald reminis
cences of life among the Indians.
But again we all stop to listen to a
new howling in the bathroom. All is
well this time however ; the pious redman -
man is only performing an appropriate
song , of praise to the good spirit , no
doitbt , or deprecation to the bad one , or
something of that sort. But it appears
to us so funny , for some reason , that
our gravity suddenly forsakes us all and
we twist ourselves with mirth.
Then we follow the Flatheads , who
have been inarched to the spot assigned
to them. By good management on
somebody's part , their tent-poles , bag
gage and other impediments are on the
ground as soon as they are ; two tepees
are already up , a young squaw is sitting
on a pile of blankets with a cheerful
six-months' baby sputtering and twist
ing about her feet , while the bucks
stand around , still receiving civilities
and grinning. Two of them produce
beautiful war clubs , armed with short
polished black horns. "Buffalo ? " asks
na investigating Indian , and an affirma
tive grunt being given the clubs are
handed about with much curiosity. It
would seem as if the native name for
that vanished creature must have been
forgotten ; indeed the younger men must
know him only by tradition. .
An active little squaw in blue blanket
skirt and neat leggings is setting up the '
third tepee. She takes the three longest
poles and ties them together near the
small end ; it is then easy for two people
to set them up into a tripod , in the crot
ches of which the tops of the other poles
rest. The covering is then drawn around '
the whole , an opening being left lowdown
'
down on one side. The hole in the top
around the poles seems not to be sufficient
for ventilation , for a slit is left running
down for several feet from it , with'
long flaps standing up , which are care
fully held open by poles coming up from :
