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They listen iii wondering silence, and one after another drop their weapons and draw nearer together. At the words —
" Bathe now in the stream hefore you, Wash the war-paint from your faces,"
they with one accord step to the front of stage, and, stooping, wash together in the clear water that ripples along the edge of the platform. The peace-pipe is lighted by an old Indian who was born on the site of the city of Chicago when there was nothing but a trading post, tepees and " the dew and damp of meadows " to mark the spot, with flint and punk, as in the olden times, and the whole company sit in a circle and solemnly smoke the pipe of peace. The pipe used is one of great historical interest.
While the Indians smoke, old Nokomis appears at the door of the wigwam singing a lullaby to the infant Hiawatha swinging in his linden cradle. Nokomis is a fine character — strong, tender and motherly — and the melody she croons as she hangs over the sleeping babe seems like the breath of the night wind in its even cadence.
Following the lullaby the child's grand-parents Nokomis and Iagoo teach the boy Hiawatha how to use the bow and arrow. The warriors are much interested, and every lucky hit is greeted with loud cheers. Dancing is another important part of an Indian's education, and so skillful is the little fellow that the audience adds round after round of applause to the cheers of the braves. The drum which furnishes the time for all the performance is said to have been used at Queenstown Heights in the war of 1812. A deer skin rattle — a bit of dried deer skin filled with pebbles — one of the oldest musical instruments on the American continent, and the slow chant of the singer who handles the drum completes the orchestra.
Great consternation is in the camp when Hiawatha announces his intention of seeking his father, Mudjekeewis. Not only Nokomis, but the old chiefs, seek to dissuade him. Putting them all aside, he steps into his canoe, and, taking up his paddle, speeds swiftly out of sight.
In his absence the tribe pursue their various avocations quite unconsciously, polishing weapons, dressing skins, etc To beguile the time Pau-Puk-Keewis is asked to sing his laughing song for them. Pau-Puk-Keewis is the only actor who is not an Ojibway. He is an Iroquois, and a handsome specimen of perfect physical development.
In a small promontory to the left and some distance from the stage is the Land of the Dakotahs, the Falls of