ACROSS THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, ETC. 241 



and consultation with his people, and I immediately left the lodge 

 and took the way to my camp, to allow them an opportunity of 

 discussing the matter alone. 



Early next morning the Indian visited me, with the infor- 

 mation that the " medicine man" had departed, and he was 

 now anxious that I should make trial of my skill. I immediately 

 administered to the child an active cathartic, followed by sul- 

 phate of quinine, which checked the disease, and in two days the 

 patient was perfectly restored. 



In consequence of my success in this case, I had an applica- 

 tion to administer medicine to two other children similarly 

 affected. My stock of quinine being exhausted, I determined to 

 substitute an extract of the bark of the dogwood, (Cornus Nut- 

 talli,) and taking one of the parents into the wood with his blan- 

 ket, I soon chipped ofi' a plentiful supply, returned, boiled it in 

 his own kettle, and completed the preparation in his lodge, with 

 most of the Indians standing by, and staring at me, to compre- 

 hend the process. This was exactly what I wished ; and as I 

 proceeded, I took some pains to explain the whole matter to them, 

 in order that they might at a future time be enabled to make use 

 of a really valuable medicine, which grows abundantly every 

 where throughout the country. I have often thought it strange 

 that the sagacity of the Indians should not long ago have made 

 them acquainted with this remedy ; and I believe, if they had 

 used it, they would not have had to mourn the loss of hundreds, 

 or even thousands of their people who have been swept away by 

 the demon of ague and fever. 



I administered to each of the children about a scruple of the 

 extract per day. The second day they escaped the paroxysm, 

 and on the third were entirely well. 



June 26th. — I left Vancouver yesterday, with the summer 

 brigade, for a visit to Walla-walla, and its vicinity. The gentle- 



31 



