﻿mooney.] 
  THE 
  SWIMMER 
  MANUSCRIPT. 
  311 
  

  

  friends, 
  after 
  learning 
  several 
  songs 
  from 
  them, 
  started 
  back 
  to 
  their 
  

   homes, 
  and 
  after 
  proceeding 
  a 
  short 
  distance, 
  turned 
  around 
  to 
  take 
  

   one 
  last 
  look, 
  but 
  saw 
  only 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  bears 
  disappearing 
  in 
  the 
  

   depths 
  of 
  the 
  forest, 
  The 
  songs 
  which 
  they 
  learned 
  are 
  still 
  sung 
  

   by 
  the 
  hunter 
  to 
  attract 
  the 
  bears. 
  

  

  When 
  Swimmer 
  had 
  finished 
  the 
  story 
  he 
  was 
  asked 
  if 
  he 
  knew 
  

   these 
  songs. 
  He 
  replied 
  that 
  he 
  did, 
  but 
  on 
  being 
  requested 
  to 
  sing 
  

   one 
  he 
  made 
  some 
  excuse 
  and 
  was 
  silent, 
  After 
  some 
  further 
  efforts 
  

   the 
  interpreter 
  said 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  useless 
  to 
  press 
  the 
  matter 
  then 
  as 
  

   there 
  were 
  several 
  other 
  Indians 
  present, 
  but 
  that 
  to-morrow 
  we 
  

   should 
  have 
  him 
  alone 
  with 
  us 
  and 
  could 
  then 
  make 
  another 
  attempt. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  day 
  Swimmer 
  was 
  told 
  that 
  if 
  he 
  persisted 
  in 
  his 
  refusal 
  

   it 
  would 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  employ 
  some 
  one 
  else, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  unfair 
  in 
  

   him 
  to 
  furnish 
  incomplete 
  information 
  when 
  he 
  was 
  paid 
  to 
  tell 
  all 
  

   he 
  knew. 
  He 
  replied 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  willing 
  to 
  tell 
  anything 
  in 
  regard 
  

   to 
  stories 
  and 
  customs, 
  but 
  that 
  these 
  songs 
  were 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  his 
  secret 
  

   knowledge 
  and 
  commanded 
  a 
  high 
  price 
  from 
  the 
  hunters, 
  who 
  

   sometimes 
  paid 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  $5 
  for 
  a 
  single 
  song, 
  -'because 
  you 
  can't 
  

   kill 
  any 
  bears 
  or 
  deer 
  unless 
  you 
  sing 
  them." 
  

  

  He 
  was 
  told 
  that 
  the 
  only 
  object 
  in 
  asking 
  about 
  the 
  songs 
  was 
  to 
  

   put 
  them 
  on 
  record 
  and 
  preserve 
  them, 
  so 
  that 
  when 
  he 
  and 
  the 
  half 
  

   dozen 
  old 
  men 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  were 
  dead 
  the 
  world 
  might 
  be 
  aware 
  how 
  

   much 
  the 
  Cherokees 
  had 
  known. 
  This 
  appeal 
  to 
  his 
  professional 
  

   pride 
  proved 
  effectual, 
  and 
  when 
  he 
  was 
  told 
  that 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  simi- 
  

   lar 
  songs 
  had 
  been 
  sent 
  to 
  Washington 
  by 
  medicine 
  men 
  of 
  other 
  

   tribes, 
  he 
  promptly 
  declared 
  that 
  he 
  knew 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  any 
  of 
  them, 
  

   and 
  that 
  he 
  would 
  give 
  all 
  the 
  information 
  in 
  his 
  possession, 
  so 
  that 
  

   others 
  might 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  judge 
  for 
  themselves 
  who 
  knew 
  most. 
  

   The 
  only 
  conditions 
  he 
  made 
  were 
  that 
  these 
  secret 
  matters 
  should 
  

   be 
  heard 
  by 
  no 
  one 
  else 
  but 
  the 
  interpreter, 
  and 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  dis- 
  

   cussed 
  when 
  other 
  Indians 
  were 
  present. 
  

  

  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  other 
  shamans 
  learned 
  what 
  was 
  going 
  on 
  they 
  en- 
  

   deavored 
  by 
  various 
  means 
  to 
  persuade 
  him 
  to 
  stop 
  talking, 
  or 
  fail- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  this, 
  to 
  damage 
  his 
  reputation 
  by 
  throwing 
  out 
  hints 
  as 
  to 
  his 
  

   honesty 
  or 
  accuracy 
  of 
  statement, 
  Among 
  other 
  objections 
  which 
  

   they 
  advanced 
  was 
  one 
  which, 
  however 
  incomprehensible 
  to 
  a 
  white 
  

   man, 
  was 
  perfectly 
  intelligible 
  to 
  an 
  Indian, 
  viz 
  : 
  That 
  when 
  he 
  had 
  

   told 
  everything 
  this 
  information 
  would 
  lie 
  taken 
  to 
  Washington 
  and 
  

   locked 
  up 
  there, 
  and 
  thus 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  deprived 
  of 
  the 
  knowledge. 
  

   This 
  objection 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  difficult 
  to 
  overcome, 
  as 
  there 
  

   was 
  no 
  line 
  of 
  argument 
  with 
  which 
  to 
  oppose 
  it. 
  

  

  These 
  reports 
  worried 
  Swimmer, 
  who 
  was 
  extremely 
  sensitive 
  in 
  

   regard 
  to 
  his 
  reputation, 
  and 
  he 
  became 
  restive 
  under 
  the 
  insinua- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  his 
  rivals. 
  Finally 
  on 
  coming 
  to 
  work 
  one 
  day 
  he 
  produced 
  

   a 
  hook 
  from 
  under 
  his 
  ragged 
  coat 
  as 
  he 
  entered 
  the 
  house, 
  and 
  said 
  

   proudly 
  : 
  " 
  Look 
  at 
  that 
  and 
  now 
  see 
  if 
  I 
  don't 
  know 
  something." 
  It 
  

  

  