I5O ADVENTURES OF DR. ALLEN. 



assemble at the council-lodge and decide upon the course to 

 be pursued, while the medicine-men in the medicine-lodge 

 are conciliating the Great Spirit in the following manner. 

 Gathering all their most sacred articles, such as herbs and 

 owls' feathers, they throw them upon a fire in the middle 

 of the lodge. The chief medicine-man sits by, calmly smok- 

 ing his pipe, and, raising it aloft at intervals, he importunes 

 the Great Spirit to smoke with him. The burning process is 

 continued until all the material is consumed, when the pipe 

 is laid aside and all walk round and round, the medicine-men 

 chanting a war-song, which is a prayer to the Great Spirit 

 that his spirit may go with them in the battle, and turn away 

 from their enemies. 



I have often noticed that Indians are afraid of the dark, 

 and that they seldom travel after nightfall. I asked Crazy 

 Head the reason for this, and he said that they believe bad 

 spirits are abroad in the night,, and that the spirits of wicked 

 Indians, long since dead, prowl around at night in the forms 

 of beasts of prey. The breaking of a twig, the least noise at 

 night, they attribute to evil spirits, and quake with fear at 

 hearing them. They have a great dread of snakes, and can- 

 not be induced to touch or kill one, as that act would poison 

 their medicine, and they would never more have any luck 

 when hunting. 



When their health is good, and they are well supplied 

 with game, their hearts are good, and the heart of the Great 

 Spirit is good to them. When in this happy mood, they 

 often climb to the top of a mountain or a high hill and leave 

 their best blanket hanging upon a tree, as a gift to the Great 

 Spirit. After a time they come again, and if it is gone, some 

 other Indian or a white man having taken it, they think 

 their gift has been accepted, and are very happy. 



The feathers of the owl have a particular value, be- 



