ASTONISH THE INDIANS. 305 



out through a hole in the roof, most of it, however, remaining 

 in the room, so that you had to sit on the floor to breathe. 



The Bannocks were camped about three miles away and 

 would be in to-morrow, so that we had come just in time, the 

 chief having been already to the ranche to make arrangements. 

 Near the stockade were the tents of about twenty Crow 

 Indians, who were very busy getting themselves up to meet 

 the Bannocks, putting on all their finery, and giving their 

 faces another coat of paint. We went in the evening into 

 some of their lodges and had a talk with them, Bowles doing 

 interpreter. They seemed very nervous about the approaching 

 meeting with the Bannocks, the two tribes having very recently 

 been at war with each other, and peace had only been made 

 that summer. They feared lest the Bannocks should take this 

 opportunity of getting a few scalps, Indian ideas on the 

 subject of the sacredness of a treaty being very vague, particu- 

 larly when, as in this case, there were nine hundred Bannocks 

 to the Crows' twenty. 



I remained in one of the lodges after the others had left 

 and lit one of those little pellets called Pharoah's serpents, out 

 of which came something resembling a long white worm, 

 causing a regular stampede men, women, and children 

 tumbling over one another in their hurry to get out of the 

 lodge. In a few minutes a number of heads appeared, looking 

 cautiously in at the door, and seeing that I was unhurt they 

 gradually returned, and made me do it again and again, till I 

 refused to light any more, wishing to keep a few for the 

 Bannocks. On this the women surrounded me, and tried to 

 get them from me by force, and I had quite a struggle to get 



