THE ORDEAL. 259 



the poor consolation of showing to others how bravely 

 he can bear his sufferings, until his own vigorous efforts, 

 or the softening of the tissues through partial mortifica- 

 tion, enable him to tear out the incised muscles and 

 escape from his bondage. Having freed himself, he 

 makes his way to his family lodge, where he is carefully 

 examined, and, if it is found that he has fairly torn the 

 muscle, his wounds are washed, and dressed with herbs, 

 rudely, but with so much skill that they are in a few 

 weeks entirely healed. Singular as it may appear, an 

 instance of fatal result, even in the hottest weather, is 

 almost unknown. 



Sometimes the incisions are made in the muscles of 

 the shoulder-blade or of the back. In this case the 

 ropes are attached to some movable object. Two 

 American gentlemen, visiting a Cheyenne camp in the 

 fall of 1873, came one day upon a poor boy of not 

 more than fourteen years, dragging after him, by long 

 ropes, three buffalo skulls ; one from a cut on each 

 shoulder-blade, and the other from an incision beside 

 the back-bone. It is terrible to see these poor boys 

 tugging and pulling, with whoops and yells, at their iron 

 flesh ; but each understands that it is best for him to 

 tear loose as soon as possible ; best, not only physically as 

 a quicker ending of his torture, but also best in a re- 

 ligious point of view. It is ' good medicine ' to tear 

 loose at once bad medicine to be several days about it. 



Let it not be supposed that the father's affection 

 stays the knife, even one line, to spare his boy from 

 suffering. His religion would deter him from any, even 

 the slightest, modification or lessening of the pains of the 

 ordeal, even if his pride in his son's endurance were not 

 stronger than his sympathy as a parent. 



Few white men have witnessed this ordeal ; and even 

 the Indian, who comes by accident upon a boy in the 

 throes of his agony, is required by religion and etiquette 

 to ' pass on the other side.' 



