Jack told him, and how he had come up from the south with Hugh, at John Monroe's invitation, and that he expected to spend a couple of months with the tribe.
"Ah," said Joe, "that's good. Pretty soon after we've had the Medicine Lodge the people will move out onto the prairie to kill buffalo. The women want new lodge skins, and food will soon be needed. Do you think you'll like it here?"
"Yes, you bet!" said Jack; "it's the bulliest place I've ever been in. I never get tired of wondering what the people are doing; and why they're doing it. Say, you could tell me a lot about all these things, couldn't you?"
"Maybe so," said Joe; "I know some of the things, but I've been away from the tribe a whole lot, and then I'm only a boy, so I don't know much. The old men are the ones who know things; they could tell you. Get White Bull to ask them about all the different ceremonies and the customs. Maybe they'd tell him when they wouldn't tell you and me. Do you like to hunt?" and Jack answered: "You bet I do! I've never done much hunting, but I've killed some deer and antelope and elk, and down south of here, as we were coming along, I killed a buffalo."
"You've got a good horse," said Joe. "I've seen him. He'll catch the fastest cows. Your lodge will always have plenty of meat."
"Yes," said Jack, "he's a good horse; fast, and good to hunt with."
After a little, Joe asked him: "Ever hunt sheep?"
"No, I never exactly hunted 'em. Just after we crossed the Yellowstone, coming north, three or four sheep pretty nearly came into our camp one morning, and I killed one there. Those are the only ones I ever saw."
"There are sheep up there," said Joe, pointing to a flat mountain not many miles away.
"Is that so?" said Jack. "I shouldn't think there'd be any as close to this camp as that. I should think the Indians'd kill 'em all off."