242 A Century of Science 



doggedly refused to give any particulars. It was 

 afterwards learned that this brother was a mem- 

 ber of a thunder-fighting fraternity of priests or 

 medicine men. On the approach of a storm they 

 would "take their bows and arrows, their magic 

 drum, and a sort of whistle made out of the wing 

 bone of the war eagle, and, thus equipped, run out 

 and fire at the rising cloud, whooping, yelling, 

 whistling, and beating their drum, to frighten it 

 down again. One afternoon a heavy black cloud 

 was coming up, and they repaired to the top of a 

 hill, where they brought all their magic artillery 

 into play against it. But the undaunted thunder, 

 refusing to be terrified, darted out a bright flash, 

 which struck [the aforesaid brother] dead as he 

 was in the very act of shaking his long iron-pointed 

 lance against it. The rest scattered, and ran yell- 

 ing in an ecstasy of superstitious terror back to 

 their lodges." 



One should read Mr. Parkman's detailed nar- 

 rative of the strange life of these people, and the 

 manner of his taking part in it : how he called the 

 villagers together and regaled them sumptuously 

 with boiled dog, and made them a skilful speech, 

 in which he quite satisfied them as to his reasons 

 for coming to dwell among them ; how a warm 

 friendship grew up between himself and the ven- 



