The snow still lay deep on the ground; and as we marched along, one after another, each man stepped in the tracks of the man before him.  We traveled a long way, until we came to some hills, from which we could see a river; and before we got down to the river’s valley we stopped on a hill, and took off our packs, and looked about and rested.  After a time someone said, “Well, let us go down to the river and camp.”  They all started down the hill, but I remained where I was, waiting to see what they would do.  You see, I did not belong to the party, and I did not know how the others felt toward me; so I was shy about doing anything; I wanted to wait and see what they did.

When the others reached the level ground near the stream they threw down their packs and began to go to work.  Some of the men scraped away the snow from the ground where they were to sleep; others went off into the timber, and soon returned with loads of wood on their backs, and started fires; others brought poles with which to build lodges; others, bark from old cottonwood trees, and others, still, brush.  Everyone worked hard.

Presently I grew tired of sitting alone on the hill, and went down to the others.  When I reached there, I found that they were building three war lodges, and as I drew near, all the young men began to call out to me, each one asking me to come over to him.  I was the littlest fellow in the party, and they all wanted me, thinking that I might bring them luck.  When they called to me, they did not speak to me by my name, but called me Bear Chief, the name of one of the greatest warriors of the tribe.  They were joking with me, to tease me.

When I was near the lodges I stopped, uncertain what to do, or where to go, and Gray Eyes, a man a little older than the others, walked up to me, and took me by the arm, saying:  “Friend, come to our lodge.  If you go to one of the others, the young men will be making fun of you all the time.”  I went to his lodge, and he told me to sit down near the door.  This lodge was well built, warm and comfortable.  They had taken many straight poles and set them up as the poles of a lodge are set up, but much closer together.  Then the poles were covered with bark and brush, so as to keep out the wind; and within, all about the lodge, were good beds, with bark and brush under them, so as to keep those who were to sleep there from the snow.  A good fire burned in the middle of the lodge.

When I grew warm I began to wonder what we should have to eat.  We had traveled all day, and I was hungry; yet I had no food, and could see none, and there was nothing to cook with, not even a kettle.  A man sitting by the fire seemed to know what was in my mind, and said to me, “Take courage, friend, soon you shall have plenty to eat.”  A little while after this, a man called out, saying, “If anyone has food to eat, let him get it out.”  When he said that, the young men began to open their packs.  While they were doing this, someone cried,