MICHELSON. ] THE SINGING AROUND RITE. 605 
The ones mentioned above always went about singing once in a 
while. 
After he was married for three years, they (still) had no children, 
and as it was desired that that woman should have a child she was 
given a medicine to drink by her relatives. Sure enough she then 
became pregnant. She fell ill exactly in the planting season. As 
she could not be delivered she died. Then the man became a widower 
unreleased from death-ceremonies. He felt very badly. Even 
when he had been made a widower free from death-ceremonies, he 
did not cease thinking of it. They even ceased singing around. 
And he dreamed, ‘‘ Cease thinking of it. You are really still united 
to her. Surely you will see her. And if you marry another she 
will not say anything to you when you come to her. For she also 
was well-behaved, and you too. Verily, you will see each other,” 
he was told. As soon as he woke up he felt better. ‘TI shall do that 
very thing,” he thought. 
After the people had all finished cultivating their crops the buffalo- 
hunters moved camp. Then it seems they saw the Omaha yonder. 
Then it appears they traded (their) meat and were given clothing in 
exchange. Now it is a fact that (the Omaha) had had an epidemic. 
And they (the Meskwaki) got the disease from those clothes. Soon 
they began to be sick. And then in spite of it they went home and 
some died on their way before (they arrived there). When they 
came back yonder several had already died. And as soon as (any of) 
them arrived they began to be taken (with the disease). ‘‘ Those 
who went on the buffalo-hunt brought the disease,”’ they said among 
themselves. And before the night was over several had died. 
And that man woke up early the next morning and began to hunt 
(animals) before eating. In a little while he had brought game 
there exactly when the people were waking up one by one. Imme- 
diately he summoned his friends to cook what he had brought. 
And they began beating the drum. ‘This is what the one who 
blessed me cautioned me about,” he said. ‘‘ To-day we shall know 
how (my blessing) is. Do not be afraid of (the disease),’’ he said to 
them. As soon as all had come they danced while cooking. [Exactly 
when the sun was up high they finished cooking. They did pre- 
cisely what he had been told by the one who blessed him. As soon 
as they had eaten they began beating the drum. Then they began 
to walk, entering the wigwams as they went about. ‘We are not 
merely doing this. The reason we do this is because we think the 
people will in this way cease catching (the disease),’’ he said to his 
fellow members of They who go about singing. As soon as they 
had gone around entering the wigwams of all, including those afflicted 
with the disease, they also circled the town singing. Sure enough 
they straightway ceased being sick, and those who by chance already 
