ge the cruel death of his son. After the speech, the
Mandan chief took him aside, and explained that the alarm was merely a
trick to get rid of the Assiniboines. They had not food enough at the
village, he said, to satisfy such a hungry horde. But, to the surprise
and disgust of the chief, the Assiniboines swallowed their fears and
decided to go forward. At first, in their terror, the majority of the
tribe had thought it better to turn back; but one of their old chiefs
shamed them into a different course. 'Do not think,' he said, in
scornful accents, 'that our Father [La Verendrye] is a coward,' and he
looked about him at the young Assiniboine warriors until each felt that
he himself was branded as a coward. 'I know him,' he continued,
'better than you do, and I tell you that the Sioux cannot frighten him
or any of his men. What will he think of us? At our request, he went
out of his way to visit our village. We promised to conduct him to the
Mandans, and to bring him safely back to his fort. And now you talk of
{58} abandoning him, because you fear the Sioux. This must never be.
Let those of you who are faint-hearted remain here in camp with the
women; but let those who are without fear follow our father.' After
this scornful eloquence there was no further talk of turning back.

Early on the following morning the camp broke up, and the whole party,
French and Assiniboines and Mandans, marched across the plains towards
the Mandan village. One can imagine the striking picture made up by
the little party of white men in their picturesque costumes, surrounded
by hundreds of half-naked savages. Had the Indians cared to exercise
their power, they might have overwhelmed the French at any moment, but
apparently they had no thought of doing so. Indeed it is quite true
that the Indians of North America, when first they met white men,
treated them in nearly every case with the utmost friendship. Only
after the Indians had been deceived or betrayed by some rascals among
the white men did they learn to look upon them as enemies and become
cruel and treacherous in dealing with them.

When La Verendrye had travelled some distance from the camp, he found
that the bag {59} containing his papers and many other things that
would be required at the Mandan villages had been stolen by one of the
Assiniboines. The thief, he also learned, had made off with his spoil.
Instantly he sent two young warriors to secure him. The cu