ife itself,--the
instinct to battle and to conquer. He was resolved with all the grand
strength of his nature to bend the council to his will, and with more
than Indian subtility saw how it might be done.

He rose to his feet and stood for a moment in silence, sweeping with
his glance the circle of chiefs. As he did so, the mere personality of
the man began to produce a reaction. For forty years he had been the
great war-chief of the tribes of the Wauna, and had never known
defeat. The ancient enemies of his race dreaded him; the wandering
bands of the prairies had carried his name far and wide; and even
beyond the Rockies, Sioux and Pawnee had heard rumors of the powerful
chief by the Big River of the West. He stood before them a huge, stern
warrior, himself a living assurance of victory and dominion.

As was customary with Indian orators in preparing the way for a
special appeal, he began to recount the deeds of the fathers, the
valor of the ancient heroes of the race. His stoicism fell from him as
he half spoke, half chanted the harangue. The passion that was burning
within him made his words like pictures, so vivid they were, and
thrilled his tones with electric power. As he went on, the sullen
faces of his hearers grew animated; the superstitious fears that
Tohomish had awakened fell from them. Again they were warriors, and
their blood kindled and their pulses throbbed to the words of their
invincible leader. He saw it, and began to speak of the battles they
themselves had fought and the victories they had gained. More than one
dark cheek flushed darker and more than one hand moved unconsciously
to the knife. He alluded to the recent war and to the rebellious tribe
that had been destroyed.

"_That_," said he, "was the people Tohomish saw passing over the
death-trail in his dream. What wonder that the thought of death should
fill the air, when we have slain a whole people at a single blow! Do
we not know too that their spirits would try to frighten our dreamers
with omens and bad _tomanowos_? Was it not bad _tomanowos_ that
Tohomish saw? It could not have come from the Great Spirit, for he
spoke to our fathers and said that we should be strongest of all the
tribes as long as the Bridge of the Gods should stand. Have the stones
of that bridge begun to crumble, that our hearts should grow weak?"

He then described the natural bridge which, as tradition and geology
alike tell us, spanned at that time the Columbia a