220 ON THE FRONTIER. 



were ready to receive our wild visitors ; but it was not 

 until the following morning about ten o'clock that the 

 looked-for callers appeared. A dozen Ute' warriors galloped 

 up to our hitching-bar and dismounted. They walked into 

 camp in a frank friendly way, as if quite sure of their 

 welcome, without making any preliminary sign of peace, 

 as if indeed to do so would be unnecessary and superfluous. 

 They were in full Indian bravery, got up regardless of 

 expense, in paint and feathers, armed to the teeth, and 

 admirably horsed. My acquaintance of the previous day's 

 making was of the party ; and, after we had shaken hands 

 all round, he called the attention of his companions to 

 the dogs, and we could see by his expressive gestures he 

 was giving them an account of Nip's late performance. 

 We invited our guests to sit down and smoke, and they 

 squatted accordingly, placing themselves so as to form 

 three parts of a circle, and we, following their example, 

 completed the round. We were evidently in for a regular 

 " Pow-wow." 



Our largest pipe was filled, lit, and the regular puffs 

 made, one towards each of the four cardinal points, and 

 one straight up. Then it was passed round in silence, each 

 in his turn going through the same ceremony. The 

 meeting being thus opened in due form, a speech followed 

 as a matter of course. A big stout Indian, who looked 

 some sixty years of age, " took the floor." To our surprise, 

 after speaking a short time in the Ute language, that his 

 comrades might know what he was about to say to us, he 

 gave, what we supposed to be, a translation. Although 

 delivered in very bad and broken English, plentifully eked 



