Page:Route Across the Rocky Mountains with a Description of Oregon and California.djvu/132

Rh Lauramie, as great a number of those tribes as he could; among these were many of their Chiefs and braves, with whom he held a council; not only warning them of the punishment which they would receive, if they continued to molest and kill the Americans, but operating on their superstition, by a display of such things, as to them, were mysterious and supernatural.

After he had had a long talk with the Chiefs, and told them what he wished them to do, and what not to do, in respect to the white people passing through their country, he obtained from them in a promise, that they would henceforth, in these respects, act according to his wishes and requests. Having obtained this promise, which without the addition of fear would have been violated as freely as it had been given, he determined to work a little, if possible, upon their superstitions. The dragoons, with all military show, were paraded, and a field piece rolled out upon the prairie. The Colonel then proclaimed to the Chiefs and braves, and to all the Indians assembled, that he was about to inform the Great Spirit of their promise, and call him to witness the covenant which they had made. He bade them look up and listen. A sky-rocket rose in the air, and darting away on its mission, had almost buried itself in the bosom of the sky, when it burst, flashed in the heavens, reported to the Great Mysterious, resolved itself again into its airy form, and the errand was accomplished. Another, and another; three of the firy messengers arose in succession into the presence of the Great Spirit, and announced to him, that the Sioux and Shians had entered into a solemn covenant with a Chief of the white people, to be their friends, and to respect forever their lives and property. While they stood, with all the awe which ignorance and blind superstition could inspire, gazing into the heavens, where, just not they had been luminous with the mysterious display, a cannon was discharged; and while its deafning thunder shook the field, the ball flying, far away along the plain, bounding and rebounding, tore the earth, and marked its dusty track with clouds. “That,” said the Colonel, “was to open your ears, that you might not be deaf to what I am about to say. Can you hear?” “Yes,” replied the Chiefs, “we can hear." The second was discharged, roaring still louder than the first; and the ball again proved the power of the might engine that sent it. “Can you hear, I say?" demanded the Colonel. “Yes,” they replied, a little submissively, “we can hear well.” Again the cannon told, still louder. Three times it thundered in their ears. “Can you hear?”