100 THE WHITE MAN LOST ON THE PRAIRIE. 



Contrast this calm self-reliance and sagacity with the 

 conduct of many a white man, temporarily losing 1 his 

 way, and left out even for a single night upon the 

 prairie, away from his friends. It is by no means an 

 unknown, or perhaps even a very uncommon circum- 

 stance, that sheer dismay and fright have actually 

 deprived persons of their reason on such occasions, and 

 they will rush aimlessly about at full speed, in the vain 

 hope of finding their party, until they drop from 

 exhaustion. This affection is known as "the plains 

 madness " all over the prairie region of the great west ; 

 and one of its most characteristic symptoms is this 

 impulse to keep constantly moving as long as the 

 strength holds out, but without any definite object in 

 view indeed the victim generally wanders in circles. 



The number of such cases which have been from 

 time to time recorded are unfortunately very great, 

 and instances have frequently been known where men 

 have become so completely crazy with terror that they 

 have fled from their own friends, who had come to 

 their rescue and have had to be captured like wild 

 animals, and forcibly carried back to home and safety. 



The stoicism of the Indian is unruffled by all such 

 considerations; indeed it is very doubtful if he ever 

 loses his way for long. Should a dense fog, snow- 

 storm, or darkness overtake him, he accepts the situation 

 and like a sensible being, waits, and rests with unruf- 

 fled stoicism until the obstacle to progress has disappeared. 

 Nothing however can be more remarkable than the 

 unerring instinct with which an Indian preserves his 

 consciousness of direction and localities ; he will guide 

 his course, even through an unknown country, with 

 undeviating certainty, directly to his objective point; 



