ELDORADO 239 



a medicine man. Whoever opposed his measures or 

 his wishes, was sure to perish. A few days before 

 administering the fatal dose, he would announce that 

 such a chief would die ; it had been revealed to him 

 by the Great Spirit. The prophecy never failed. 

 When traders came to the village, Blackbird had their 

 packs brought to their lodge, and there, for the first 

 time, they were opened ; no one being admitted to the 

 lodge but the trader and himself. He then selected 

 such articles as he fancied, often taking half of the 

 goods, but to remunerate the white man, he forced the 

 tribe to buy the rest at a double valuation. In this 

 wav he remained on the best terms with all of the 

 traders : benefiting them and enriching himself at the 

 expense of his followers, somewhat after the manner 

 of more modern princes. Remorse seemed never to 

 trouble his adaptable conscience, except upon a sin- 

 gle occasion. His favorite squaw offended him in 

 some wav, and with a single blow of his knife he 

 streched her dead at his feet. In an instant he realized 

 what the violence of his temper had caused him to do. 

 Seating himself in his lodge, he covered his head with 

 his blanket, and in his solitude gave way to the agony 

 of his grief. For three days and nights he remained 

 thus, deaf to the prayers and entreaties of his people, 

 and never moved, until at last, one of the squaws 

 brought in the little child of the dead woman, and 

 laising the leg of the chief, placed the child beneath 

 it, with the foot of the chief upon its neck, and then 

 left the lodge. Roused by the weeping of the infant. 

 Blackbird arose, bathed and went forth, to the great 

 delight of the tribe. 



