to cross the line, but his Christian love prompted
him to do it. He secured a good guide, and found his way in time through
the vast wilderness.

As for me, I little dreamed of anything unusual to happen on my return.
As I approached our camp with my game on my shoulder, I had not the
slightest premonition that I was suddenly to be hurled from my savage
life into a life unknown to me hitherto.

When I appeared in sight my father, who had patiently listened to my
uncle's long account of my early life and training, became very much
excited. He was eager to embrace the child who, as he had just been
informed, made it already the object of his life to avenge his father's
blood. The loving father could not remain in the teepee and watch the
boy coming, so he started to meet him. My uncle arose to go with his
brother to insure his safety.

My face burned with the unusual excitement caused by the sight of a man
wearing the Big Knives' clothing and coming toward me with my uncle.

"What does this mean, uncle?"

"My boy, this is your father, my brother, whom we mourned as dead. He
has come for you."

My father added: "I am glad that my son is strong and brave. Your
brothers have adopted the white man's way; I came for you to learn this
new way, too; and I want you to grow up a good man."

He had brought me some civilized clothing, At first, I disliked very
much to wear garments made by the people I had hated so bitterly. But
the thought that, after all, they had not killed my father and brothers,
reconciled me, and I put on the clothes.

In a few days we started for the States. I felt as if I were dead and
traveling to the Spirit Land; for now all my old ideas were to give
place to new ones, and my life was to be entirely different from that of
the past.

Still, I was eager to see some of the wonderful inventions of the
white people. When we reached Fort Totten, I gazed about me with lively
interest and a quick imagination.

My father had forgotten to tell me that the fire-boat-walks-on-mountains
had its track at Jamestown, and might appear at any moment. As I was
watering the ponies, a peculiar shrilling noise pealed forth from just
beyond the hills. The ponies threw back their heads and listened; then
they ran snorting over the prairie. Meanwhile, I too had taken alarm. I
leaped on the back of one of the ponies, and dashed off at full
speed. It was a clear day; I could not imagine what had caused such an
unearthl