There is no written record of the sermons of that day; but the simple, straightforward manner of the preacher made a lasting impression on the hearts of that strange crowd. The missionary spirit of the zealous youth so won the respect of the cowboys that they withheld from this tenderfoot the “initiation” which they were accustomed to give to strangers. Brother Van was a vigorous youth with a florid complexion and light hair. The simple directness of his manner and the good humor showing in his blue eyes, so ready to twinkle with fun, gained fast friends for him in the odd mixture of peoples. While the _Far West_ was in port, Captain Coulson extended the hospitality of the boat to his missionary passenger, though his obligations had really ceased when he reached the town. When the boat started back down the river, carrying the only people whom he knew, pangs of homesickness came to the lonely youth; now he felt himself truly a stranger in a strange land. But a new friend appeared. A good woman who had been at the service on Sunday opened her home to him, and established that night an “institution” which gradually extended throughout the state of Montana, “Brother Van’s room.” Even in the newest town where a beginning was just being made, there was always some home in which a place was set apart to receive the welcome traveler whenever he could come that way. Illustration: RUINS OF HISTORIC FORT BENTON, WHERE BROTHER VAN ATE JERKED BUFFALO MEAT AND HEARD TALES OF INDIAN WARFARE On the Monday following that eventful Sabbath, Brother Van set out to explore the town. The central interest of Fort Benton was its fur trading. This industry was developed in the United States by the enterprise of John Jacob Astor. He saw that Canada was profiting by this trade, and in 1812 he petitioned Congress to establish fur trading posts within the boundaries of the United States, and to introduce such goods as were necessary for bartering with the Indians. Trading posts soon began to dot the vast wilderness of the North and West. They were all built on the same general plan. A heavy stockade was made by driving tree trunks into the earth so close together as to make a wall, the only opening left being a massive double gate. In one of the sections of this gate was a small door through which in times of danger the trader could admit a single person at a time. He could open it and talk with any Indian who came, without allowing the visitor to enter. Within the outer stockade was an open space; then in the center was a strongly built log or adobe structure containing the trader’s quarters, storeroom, and the fort. In the wall of the storeroom was an opening about eighteen inches square. This was called the “trading hole” and was protected by heavy shutters controlled from the inside.