APPENDIX. 571 



good fire. In this we totally failed last night, owing to our having 

 but a small piece of spunk, which ignited and burned out without 

 inflaming our kindling materials. The atmosphere was damp, 

 but not sufficiently cooled to quiet the ever-busy mosquito. Mr. 

 B. deemed it a hardship that he could not boil the kettle, so as to 

 have the addition of tea to our cold repast. I reminded him that 

 there was a bright moon, and that it did not rain ; and that, for 

 myself, I had fared so decidedly worse, on former occasions, that 

 I was quite contented with the light of the moon and a dry 

 blanket. By raising up and putting a fork under the wagon- 

 tongue, and spreading our tent-cloth over it, I found the means 

 of insulating ourselves from the insect hordes, but it was not until 

 I had pitched my mosquito net within it that we found repose. 



On awaking in the morning (20th), we found H., who had 

 passed us the day before in company with the Winnebagoes, lying 

 under the wagon. He had returned from pursuing the fugitive, 

 and had overtaken vis, after twelve o'clock at night. He com- 

 plained of being cold. We admitted him into the wagon, and 

 drove on to reach his camp at Twelve-mile Creek. In crossing 

 what he denominated Seven-mile Prairie, I observed on our right 

 a prominent wall of rock, surmounted with image-stones. The 

 rock itself consisted of sandstone. Elongated water-worn masses 

 of stone had been set up, so as to resemble, at a distance, the 

 figures of men. The illusion had been strengthened by some 

 rude paints. This had been the serious or the sportive work of 

 Indians. It is not to be inferred, hence, that the Winnebagoes 

 are idolaters. But there is a strong tendency to idolatry in the 

 minds of the North American Indians. They do not bow before 

 a carved image, shaped like Dagon or Juggernaut ; but they rely 

 upon their guardian spirits, or personal manitos, for aid in exi- 

 gencies, and impute to the skins of animals, which are preserved 

 with religious care, the power of gods. Their medicine institution 

 is also a gross and bold system of semi-deification connected with 

 magic, witchcraft, and necromancy. Their jossakeeds are impos- 

 tors and jugglers of the grossest stamp. Their wabenos address 

 Satan directly for power; and their metais, who appear to be least 

 idolatrous, rely more upon the invisible agency of spirits and 

 magic influence, than upon the physical properties of the medi- 

 cines they exhibit. 



