Our country in story . ng the Oregon offer was gladly accepted. Father De Smet was astrong, vigorous man of me-dium height, with broadshoulders, deep chest, a mas-sive head, black hair, andlarge dark eyes. He washardy, adventurous, and in-different to danger, and yetof an affectionate, gentle,and generous in Belgium in 1801, hebegan his studies for thepriesthood at the age of nine-teen. Inspired by the ac-counts of an aged Kentuck-ian missionary who happened to visit the seminary, theyoung De Smet made up his mind to become a missionaryin the New World. On landing a
Our country in story . ng the Oregon offer was gladly accepted. Father De Smet was astrong, vigorous man of me-dium height, with broadshoulders, deep chest, a mas-sive head, black hair, andlarge dark eyes. He washardy, adventurous, and in-different to danger, and yetof an affectionate, gentle,and generous in Belgium in 1801, hebegan his studies for thepriesthood at the age of nine-teen. Inspired by the ac-counts of an aged Kentuck-ian missionary who happened to visit the seminary, theyoung De Smet made up his mind to become a missionaryin the New World. On landing at Philadelphia after avoyage of forty-two days, he entered the Jesuit novitiatein Maryland with the hope of being sent some day to laboramong the Indians. Advised by the government, the Jesuits had erected ahouse in the village of Florissant near St. Louis in whichyoung men were trained for missionary work. Hithercame the young De Smet. After some years he v/ent toSt. Louis and there helped with his own hands to quarry. FATHER DE SMET A MISSIONARY TO THE FAR WEST 311 the stones for the building of St. Louis University. Hisheart, was, however, with the dusky children of the wilder-ness and the petition of the young Ignace for a blackrobeseemed to him like a voice from heaven. With joyful heart Father De Smet now entered upon hislife work. Joining a company of fur traders he set outon his first trip to the Oregon country early in the springof 1840. Arriving in the land of the Shoshones he wasmet by three hundred warriors who came galloping intocamp and listened eagerly to his instructions. Black-robe, said one of the chiefs when Father De Smet hadfinished speaking, the words of thy mouth have found theway to our hearts. They will never be forgotten. The good priest was happy. He advised the Indians toselect one of their number w^ho every evening would callthem together for prayer. This the chiefs did. Afterspending a week with the Shoshones, Father De Smetstarted northward to the
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