" DOING MEDICINE. 131 



coveted tlie knife, overcame his resolution at once. 

 The temptation is irresistible to an Indian. 



After the departure of the party for the Fort, 

 Milton spent a few days in monotonous solitude, 

 eking out a scanty subsistence by the help of his 

 gun. Concluding, however, that the society of 

 Kekekoo arsis even would be better than none, he 

 put on his snow-shoes and marched over to White 

 Fish Lake. But there food was even scarcer than 

 at home. The fish were soon eaten, and the only 

 supply then was an occasional marten, mink, or 

 otter, trapped by Kekekooarsis, and a few partridges 

 and rabbits, which Milton provided. But game 

 was beginning to be scarce in the immediate neigh- 

 bourhood, and the strait had become more than 

 unpleasant when the Hunter and his son returned 

 with the pemmican sent off by Cheadle. 



After his return, Keenamontiayoo went out into 

 the woods to hunt moose. For several days he 

 had no success, and came back to perform a solemn 

 invocation to the "Manitou"(^) to bless his next 

 attempt. Drums were brought out, and rattles 

 made of bladders with pebbles in them, " medicine " 

 belts of wolf skin donned, and other '' medicine,'' 

 or magic articles, such as ermine skins, and musk- 

 rat skins covered with beads. The Hunter and his 

 father-in-law drummed and rattled, and sang songs, 

 finishing, after some hours, by a long speech which 



Q) These Indians believe in one " Great Spirit," or more lite- 

 rally " Perfect Spirit," the Manitou proper, and a great number of 

 inferior spirits, or lesser Manitous. They appear to address their 

 invocations principally to the latter. 



J 2 



