M'Keevor's Voyage to Hudson's Bay. 61 



care and composure, and, notwithstanding I was all attention 

 on the occasion, I could not detect the deceit : and as to the 

 reality of its being a piece of wood that he pretended to swal- 

 low, there is not the least reason to doubt, for I had it in my 

 hand both before and immediately after the ceremony." 



Matonnabee, an Indian chief, M r ho was then present, as- 

 sured Mr. Hearne that he had seen a man, who was then in 

 company, swallow a child's cradle with as much ease as he 

 could fold up a piece of paper, and put it into his mouth ; and 

 that when he hauled it up again, not the mark of a tooth, or 

 of any violence, was discovered about it. It is really ex- 

 tremely difficult, and oftentimes altogether impossible to give 

 any satisfactory explanation of the manner in which these 

 feats of legerdemain are accomplished. I may remark, how- 

 ever, and, indeed, Mr. Hearne admits the fact, that in the 

 second instance there was great room for deception. Though 

 the conjuror was quite naked, he had several of his compa- 

 nions well clothed standing very close round him during the 

 entire ceremony, and to whom he probably slipped the main 

 piece of wood. This suspicion is confirmed by the circum-. 

 stance of Mr. Hearne having seen this man on that very day 

 shape a piece of wood of precisely the same figure as that 

 which protruded from the mouth, which was of this ^ shape. 



The figure of the entire piece was nearly what is here repre- 

 sented ( Q O , I * fl |gj. It is probable, therefore, that 



the top part was merely inserted into the body of the stave, so 

 that it could be removed at pleasure. 



They rarely have recourse to any medicines either for their 

 internal or external complaints, generally trusting for relief 

 to such nonsensical charms as I have described. Sometimes, 

 Jiowever, especially after their drunken freaks, they make use 

 of blood-letting, which is performed in the following man- 

 ner : they take a small sharp instrument, not unlike an awl, 

 and driye it into the flesh under the vein which it is proposed 

 to open ; they then cut down on the vessel with a common 

 knife. Those who have neither of the instruments mentioned, 

 make use of a sharp flint, with which they divide the vein. 



Lambert, in his travels through the United States of North- 

 America, assures us, that they frequently, especially when 

 after a fit of intoxication, quaft' off, while yet quite warm, the 

 blood which has been drawn from the arm of another Indian. 

 In the year 1801, while travelling across the rocky mountains 

 of the north-west, Mr. Lambert had an opportunity of wit- 

 nessing this disgusting sight. " This morning our guide, be- 

 longing to the Cree tribe, complained that his head and sto* 



