Captain Lewis was only making a temporary camp as yet, and sticking by his boats. He believed that the Mandans meant to be the best of friends to his little force; still, many of the frontiersmen had but a poor opinion of all redmen, and made him not trust any one with Indian blood in his veins. When he came to know the old chief better, and they could feel perfectly safe, then it would be time to locate a permanent camp for the winter. And, yet, they would never cease to keep themselves in constant readiness, so that a surprise and a massacre might not come about. Of course, having made up their minds to go forth on the following morning, when a messenger was to start for the distant salt-lick, Dick and his cousin could think of little else. Again and again that evening they would turn away from the conversation that was general around one of the fires to talk it over, and agree as to what they should carry with them. "Captain Lewis said that the warrior would start an hour after daylight; so we must be up early, and get our breakfast," Dick remarked. "Shall we carry our blankets, and some food, besides our guns?" asked Roger. "I don't think that necessary, as we expect to spend only one night, or a couple at most, at the lick," Dick replied. "Perhaps it would be only proper if we carried some pemmican along. And, should the chance come, we might shoot an antelope, or a buffalo, and get plenty of fresh meat. The brave will be only too glad to show us where one can be found, if only to hear the thunder of the 'talking-sticks.'" "How can we sleep when all this noise is going on?" asked Roger, referring to the shouting of brown-faced pappooses, barking of dogs, and loud voices of the squaws as they jabbered among themselves, not being allowed to join in with the warriors, who were mingling freely with the soldiers and hunters of the expedition. "Oh! it'll quiet down after a while," Dick replied, laughingly. "They cannot keep it up much longer. And by the time you're ready to turn in, I promise you it'll all be as silent as a church between meeting-days." And somehow Dick turned out to be a good prophet, for an hour later it seemed as though even the yellow curs that went slinking about the village had been warned that the time for making a racket was passed; for they seldom gave tongue, except to bay the moon occasionally; and then some brave was apt to slip out of a lodge, and hurl a stone at the offender. "Listen!" said Dick, as he and his cousin were getting ready to crawl under their blankets, tired, and ready for sleep. "I hear what you mean, Dick, and it is a sure enough wolf, too. I've listened to too many of them not to know the sound." "And it is over in the direction of that place where all the platforms are standing, or tumbling down, you know, Roger," pursued the other.