62 My Dogs in the Northland 



ing passed around and a whiff or two drawn 

 by them all, it was returned to the principal 

 chief, who handed it to his pipe-bearer. 

 Then the speech-making began and lasted 

 for several hours. Indians are natural ora- 

 tors. They have a readiness of utterance, a 

 fluency of words, a play of fancy and a rich- 

 ness of illustration, that is, at times, very 

 remarkable. Give an Indian orator a theme 

 in which he is interested and time to medi- 

 tate upon it, and he will make a speech that 

 many an orator in highly civilized lands 

 might envy but could seldom equal. 



Indians are very courteous as well as dig- 

 nified in debate. A speaker is never inter- 

 rupted while giving his address. To his re- 

 marks all give the most earnest attention, 

 no matter how much their views may differ 

 from his, or how irritating they may seem 

 to a white man. Such a thing as abruptly 

 interrupting the speaker in the midst of his 

 oration is unknown. 



Another remarkable fact is the tenacity 

 of their memories and the ability of a 

 speaker to reply to the address of an oppo- 

 nent. Such a thing as taking notes is un- 

 known among them, and hence their good 



