Another big meeting--Move camp--Sunday service all day.
Another even larger gathering took place in the evening, when father
again addressed the motley crowd through Peter, and the interest
deepened. The days were spent by the missionaries in a succession of
services and councils.
On Saturday the whole camp moved some twelve or fifteen miles farther
east into a still more picturesque and beautiful country, rich in its
changing variety of landscape and scenery.
No wonder these aboriginal men are proud of their birthright, for it
is indeed a goodly heritage.
To witness this large camp moving was to me an object of great
interest--the taking down of tents, the saddling and packing of
horses and packing of dogs. Both horses and dogs pulled a sort of
vehicle made of poles, termed in this country "travois," and thus
they both packed and pulled. To these "travois" the lodge-poles were
fastened by the small end and drawn along the ground. Many of the
children and the aged and the sick were carried on the "travois."
Indeed, the carrying and pulling capacity of an Indian pony seemed to
be unlimited. Two or three children and a lot of lodge-poles on the
"travois," and the mother and a couple more children on the horse's
back, and the staunch little fellow ambled along at a quick step,
without any trouble or fuss.
When the camp moved, parallel columns were formed and all kept
together, the riders and hunters keeping on either side and in front
and in the rear.
[Illustration: WHEN THE CAMP MOVED, PARALLEL COLUMNS WERE FORMED]
In an incredibly short time the whole camp was in motion, and after
we came to the spot selected for our new camp-ground, in a very
little while tents were up, and stages standing, and meat drying, and
work going on as at the other camp. In fact, were it not for the lay
of the country one could imagine that the whole village had been
lifted from yonder to here without disturbing anything.
Long practice and generations of nomadic life had trained the people
to constant moving.
They were "itinerants" even more than the Methodist ministry.
Sunday was a special day. The chief's influence and the presence of
the missionaries caused the day to be respected by all, irrespective
of creed; and prayer-meetings, and preaching, and song services were
continued all day, and manifest interest was shown by the people.