nto the
room, stopped, and stood as impassive as the rest. Then, when the demands of Indian stoicism had been satisfied, Snoqualmie turned his face, a handsome but treacherous and cruel face, upon the messenger.
"The warrior comes to speak the words of our brother, the chief of the Bannocks; he is welcome. Shall we smoke the pipe of peace before we hear our brother s words?"
The Bannock gazed steadily at Snoqualmie. In that fierce and proud regard was something the Cayuse could not fathom.
"Why should the peace-pipe be smoked?" he asked. "Was it not smoked in the great council a moon ago? Did not Snoqualmie say then that the two tribes should henceforth be as one tribe, and that the Bannocks should be the brethren of the Cayuses forever? "
"Those were the words," replied the chief with dignity. "Snoqualmie has not forgotten them."
All eyes were now turned on the messenger; they saw that something unexpected was coming. The Bannock drew his form up to its full height, and his resolute features expressed the bitterest scorn.
"Nor have the Bannocks forgotten. At the coun cil you talked peace, peace. Last night some of your young men surprised a little camp of Bannocks, a few old men and boys who were watching horses, and slew them and ran off the horses. Is that your peace? The Bannocks will have no such peace. This is the word the chief of the Bannocks sends you!"
Holding up the peace-pipe that had been smoked at the great council and afterward given to the medi cine-men of the Bannocks as a pledge of
