From the plateau of the royal lodge ran long forest trails and pathways of blazed trees; and near the opening to the tent rose two poles, to indicate the royal rank of the occupant.

These were ornamented with ideographic devices of a historical and religious character.
The family of Umatilla consisted of his squaw, an old woman partly demented, and Benjamin, who was now much of the time away with the schoolmaster.
The old chief was very kind to his unfortunate wife, and treated her like a child or a doll.

Benjamin was about to take as his bride an Indian girl whom the English called Fair Cloud, and she was a frequent visitor at the tent.
To this patriarchal family Gretchen came one day, bringing her violin.
Fair Cloud was there to receive her, and the crazy old squaw seemed to be made happy by the sight of her white face, and she did all that she could in her simple way to make her welcome.

She gave her ornaments of shells, and pointed out to her a wabeno-tree, in whose tops spirits were supposed to whisper, and around which Indian visitors sometimes danced in the summer evenings.
The Indian maid was eager to hear the violin, but the old chief said: "It is the voice of the Merciful; let it be still--the god should not speak much." He seemed to wish to reserve the influence of the instrument for the Potlatch, to make it an object of wonder and veneration for a time, that its voice might be more magical when it should be heard.
There was a kind of tambourine, ornamented with fan-like feathers, in the lodge.

Fair Cloud used to play upon it, or rather shake it in a rhythmic way.