90 THE SIA. 



secrecy. The house is a rect-ingular structure of logs (the latter must 

 have been carried many a mile) and is some 8 by 12 feet, having a rude 

 fireplace; and there are two niches at the base of the north wall near 

 the west end in which the two vases stand during the indoor ceremo- 

 nial. Though this house presented to the visitors a foi'lorn appearance, 

 it is converted into quite a bower at the time of a ceremonial, when the 

 roof is covered and fringed with spruce boughs and sunflowers and 

 the interior wall is whitened. 8ome diplomacy was required to persuade 

 the vicar to guide Mr. Stevenson to the cave in which the vases are 

 kept when not in use. A ride half a mile farther into chaos and the 

 party dismounted and descended a steep declivity, when the guide 

 asked Mr. Stevenson's assistance in removing a stone slab which rested 

 so naturally on the hillside that it had every appearance of having 

 been placed there by other than human agency. The removal of the 

 slab exposed two vases side by side in a shallow cave. A small chan- 

 nel or flume had been ingeniously made from the hilltop that the 

 waters from ti'nia might collect in the vases. These vases belong to 

 the superior type of ancient pottery, and they are decorated in snakes 

 and cougars upon a ground of creamy tint. Mr. Stevenson was not 

 quite satisfied with simply seeing the vases, and determined if pos- 

 sible to possess one or both; but in answer to his request the vicar 

 replied : " These can not be parted with, they are so old that no one 

 can tell when the Sia first had them; they were made by our people 

 of long ago; and the snakes would be very angry if the Sia parted with 

 these vases." Whenever opportunity afforded, Mr. Stevenson ex- 

 pressed his desirefor one of them; and finally a council was held by the 

 ti'amoni and ho'naaites of the cult societies, when the matter was 

 warmly discussed, the vicar of the Snake society insisting that the gift 

 should be made, but the sux^erstition on the part of the others was too 

 great to be overcome. Mr. Stevenson was waited upon by the mem- 

 bers of the council; the lio'naaite of the Snake society addressing him: 

 "You have come to us a friend; we have learned to regard you as our 

 brother, and we wish to do all we can for you ; we are sorry we can not 

 give you one of the vases; we talked about letting you have one, but 

 we concluded it would not do: it would excite the anger of the snakes, 

 and perhaps all of our women and little ones would be bitten and die; 

 you will not be angry, for our hearts are yours." 



The night previous to the departure of the party from Sia the vicar 

 of the Snake Society made several visits to the camp, but finding other 

 Indians present he did not tarry. At midnight when the last Indian 

 guest had left the camp he again appeared and hurriedly said, "I will 

 come again," and an hour later he returned. "Now," said he, "closely 

 fasten the* tent, and one of you listen attentively all the while and tell 

 me when jou bear the first footstep;" and he then took from the sack 

 one of the vases, he being in the meanwhile much excited and also 

 distressed. He would not allow a close examination to be made of 



