previous night flame had been seen bursting from the
top of Mount Hood and thick black smoke still puffed
upward from it, and on Mount Adams rested a heavy
cloud of volcanic vapors. Were the mountains angry?
Aged men told how in the old time there had been a
terrible outburst of flame and ashes from Mount Hood;
a rain of fire and stones had fallen over all the Wil
lamette valley; the very earth had trembled at the
great mountain s wrath.
As the lower animals feel in the air the signs of a coming storm, so these savages felt, by some kindred intuition, that a mysterious convulsion of Nature was at hand. They talked in low tones, they were sub dued in manner; any one coming suddenly upon them would have been impressed by the air of uneasiness and apprehension that everywhere prevailed. But the chiefs were stoical, and Multnomah impassive as ever.
Could it have been that the stormy influences at work in Nature lent energy to the orators that day? They were unusually animated, at least for Indians, though a white man would have found them intoler ably bombastic. Each speech was a boastful eulogy of the speaker s tribe, and an exaggerated account of the wonderful exploits of its warriors.
This was rather dangerous ground; for all the tribes had been at enmity in days gone by, and some of their most renowned victories had been won over each other. Every one took it in good part, however, except Mishlah. When We-math, chief of the Kla- maths, recounting the exploits of his race, told how in ancient times they had lorded it over the Mollalies, Mishlah glared at him as if tempted to leap upon him and strike him down. Fortunately the orator passed
