The next morning Col.  Bent had his men commenced to load the train, and they put the entire day in this business.  That evening the Col. said to me, “Will, if you had a half a dozen more hides, we could not have put them on the wagons.”

When we were all ready to pull out, Col.  Bent said, “Now Will, I want to give you some presents to give to the squaws.”

We went into the store room, and he gave me a dozen butcher knives, saying, “The bucks will be jealous if they don’t have something too,” and he gave me a dozen rings, and a hand full of strings of beads and said, “Now, Will, you can give these trinkets where you think best and the knives too.  I know the Comanche Indians are all friendly to you, but these little trifles will cement their friendship.”

I bid everybody at the Fort good bye, and we were off on the journey east.

Everything passed along smoothly for the next two days.  We did not see an Indian, and nothing happened to interfere with our progress.  The third evening we went into camp near a small Indian village.  I rode over to see the Indians and took a couple of knives and a few rings and strings of beads with me.  When I entered the village, I inquired where the Chief’s wigwam was.  A couple of young bucks showed me where it was.

As soon as I saw the Chief, I knew him at once.  He was “White Bird,” and he had not met me in a year, but he recognized me as quickly as I did him.  He invited me into his wigwam and asked me to eat supper with him, which was ready in a short time.  As we sat eating, two young squaws came into the wigwam, and White Bird said they were his sisters.  I took out a butcher knife and gave it to him, and I gave a string of beads to his squaw and one to each of his sisters.  They all jumped up and commenced to dance, and I think they kept it up for half an hour.  Then White Bird said in the language of his race, “White Bird and all the Indians of the Comanche tribe always be pale face brother friend.”

His sisters said they had some skins of the young dog which they would tan and give to me so I could make some new clothes for myself.

The train pulled out from there, and the third day we came to the main village.  Before the train went into camp for the night, I told the wagon boss that I was going to the Indian village and that he need not expect to see me before midnight as I was going to have a good time with the Indians.

I gave my horse into the herders’ care and struck out on foot for the Indian village, which was about a half a mile from our camp.  Before I reached the Chief’s wigwam, I met several Indians, and they accompanied me to the Chief’s lodge.  Chief Light Foot saw me before I did him and commenced to shout at the top of his voice, and as I reached his wigwam the Indians were coming from every quarter.

As soon as Light Foot and I had shaken hands, he said, “Stay to supper, and we have a peace smoke and peace dance tonight.”