Everywhere the natives seemed friendly, and Father Marquette was usually able to communicate with them through his knowledge of the Illinois Algonkin dialect, which the Siou understood.
[Illustration: INDIANS HUNTING BISON] On their first meeting with the Mississippi Indians, the French explorers were not only offered the natives' pipes to smoke in token of peace, but an old man amongst the latter uttered these words to Jolliet: "How beautiful the sun is, O Frenchman, when thou comest to visit us.

Our village awaits thee, and thou shalt enter all our cabins in peace."...

"There was a crowd of people," writes Marquette; "they devoured us with their eyes, but nevertheless preserved profound silence.

We could, however, hear these words addressed to us from time to time in a low voice: 'How good it is, my brothers, that you should visit us'.
"...

The council was followed by a great feast, consisting of four dishes, which had to be partaken of in accordance with all their fashions.