advanced with a buoyant air and
frank demeanor, and gave his right hand to each of the party in turn.
The old chief, whose hard name we forbear to repeat, now presented
Captain Bonneville, in form, to his cousin, whose name, we regret to
say, was no less hard being nothing less than Hay-she-in-cow-cow. The
latter evinced the usual curiosity to know all about the strangers,
whence they came whither they were going, the object of their journey,
and the adventures they had experienced. All these, of course, were
ample and eloquently set forth by the communicative old chief. To all
his grandiloquent account of the bald-headed chief and his countrymen,
the Big Hearts of the East, his cousin listened with great attention,
and replied in the customary style of Indian welcome. He then desired
the party to await his return, and, springing into his canoe, darted
across the river. In a little while he returned, bringing a most
welcome supply of tobacco, and a small stock of provisions for the road,
declaring his intention of accompanying the party. Having no horse, he
mounted behind one of the men, observing that he should procure a steed
for himself on the following day.

They all now jogged on very sociably and cheerily together. Not many
miles beyond, they met others of the tribe, among whom was one, whom
Captain Bonneville and his comrades had known during their residence
among the Upper Nez Perces, and who welcomed them with open arms. In
this neighborhood was the home of their guide, who took leave of them
with a profusion of good wishes for their safety and happiness. That
night they put up in the hut of a Nez Perce, where they were visited by
several warriors from the other side of the river, friends of the old
chief and his cousin, who came to have a talk and a smoke with the white
men. The heart of the good old chief was overflowing with good will at
thus being surrounded by his new and old friends, and he talked with
more spirit and vivacity than ever. The evening passed away in perfect
harmony and good-humor, and it was not until a late hour that the
visitors took their leave and recrossed the river.

After this constant picture of worth and virtue on the part of the Nez
Perce tribe, we grieve to have to record a circumstance calculated to
throw a temporary shade upon the name. In the course of the social
and harmonious evening just mentioned, one of the captain's men,
who happened to be something of a virtuoso in his