286 SINGULAR INSIGHT OF THE INDIANS. 



As a general rule, the hunter, whether white or copper- 

 coloured, possesses by instinct extraordinary faculties of 

 sight and touch, hearing and smelling, and these are daily 

 more and more developed by practice. 



An unfortunate blind man is able, by the organ of 

 touch, to recognize his food and clothing; he contrives 

 to divine everything which is of value and importance to 

 him, for it is upon this single sense that he brings to bear 

 all the powers of his mind. The hunter of the desert 

 possesses a faculty of sight rendered so keen and acute 

 by practice that the lightest trace left upon the leaves, on 

 the bark of trees, or even on the ground, he readily and 

 unerringly detects ; yet these signs, to any other person, 

 would be as imperceptible as the course of a bird's wing in 

 space. 



It is this singular insight which guides the Indian in 

 his warfare against his fellows or the wild beasts of the 

 forest ; it is this extraordinary gift of divination which, 

 carried to its highest degree, compels the "pale-face" to 

 proclaim a Redskin the notable hunter of the American 

 wilderness; for the best of all hunters is he who can 

 follow up the least perceptible trail, while, so far as he 

 himself is concerned, he leaves no imprint on the ground 

 where he places his stealthy feet. 



The hunter who goes forth against the grisly bear can 

 only be guided by sight, and yet this instinct is much 

 more certain than the scent of a pointer. The marks of 

 the bear's paws upon the leaves, the broken branches, 

 finally, his lair, are much more quickly found than the 

 animal himself; and the experienced hunter who follows 

 up his trail can describe beforehand, and without mistake, 

 the animal's sex, weight, and age. It is for this reason 



