FIRST FRUITS.

REV. C.L. HALL, FORT BERTHOLD, DAK.

In the fall of 1879, a young Gros-Ventre Indian named _Dahpitsishesh_,
"The Bear's Tooth," began to attend the day school at Fort Berthold, and
although he was over twenty years old and not very quick to learn, he
surpassed the younger pupils by his industry. He attended the day
school, in the day time or in the evening, quite regularly during the
winter, and became a help to the missionary in translating parts of
Scripture into the Gros-Ventre language.

He wore his long hair braided behind, and banged and plastered with clay
in front so that it stood upright, and he dressed in blanket, breech
clout, leggings and moccasins, and the lower joints of several of his
fingers were cut off in accordance with the Indian custom of mutilating
themselves at the burial of a friend. His first appearance to a new
teacher who came the following spring caused her no little trepidation,
but she soon learned to prize him as her best pupil, and the next year
the influence of God's word upon him was seen by his saying, after
recounting some of his Gros-Ventre religious fables, in which his belief
had been shaken; "I have been coming to school now more than a year.
Since reading these books about God and angels I cannot sleep at night,
but have had dreams. I think some harm will come to me. I am poor and
cannot help myself, but I pray God to keep me from harm, and I want to
trust him."

From that time on, we hoped he would take a decided stand for Christ. As
yet, none among his people had been converted. A few passages of the