72 THE WINNEBAGO TRIBE [eth. axn. 37 



they would bring home with them. Thus they knew that lie was 

 telling the truth. All the people in the country listened to him and 

 what he prophesied came true, so they believed him holy. 



One day they told him that the whites were coming. After a short 

 time they said, "They are still coming. There are very many of 

 them." The lookouts were always watching and they saw them 

 coming. Then the prophet said, "Wlien they come, listen to them, 

 and when they sleep we will attend to them." Now the whites had 

 come; they had to cut through the roads to come. When they were 

 near one of their number came over to ask where they could camp 

 and they were told to camp right there. In the night, when they 

 .were asleep, they shot at them. They were half asleep and they ran 

 away without their weapons. A tribe of Indians was just then 

 going down the stream and these shot at the whites, too. Then they 

 turned back and the commander had the bugle blow and called them 

 to themselves. Then they took their guns and fought. Many 

 Indians were killed. The one who had led the Winnebago over was 

 killed in this battle. 



Then his son started back home. His name was Small-Snake. 

 As they were returning, unprepared for danger, a boat came down the 

 stream and passed very close to them. The women (he was the 

 only man among them) cried out. He was without any ammunition 

 except two shots. Just as he got ready to shoot they were recog- 

 nized. The people in the boat were not Americans but Frenchmen 

 and they were very hungry. Thus they were saved, and the French- 

 men gave them plenty of ammunition. Then they passed safely on. 



The Indians had scattered in every direction and no one knew who 

 was alive. Then Dog-Head blessed them with a powerful medicine 

 that he possessed. "My son (he was addressing Small-Snake), if I 

 were to induce you to join the Medicine Dance, why that honor 

 would perish with your death. Now they say that a man named 

 Large- Walker had a vision in which he was blessed by a loon. The 

 loon blessed him, saying, 'Large-Walker, I also bless you with this 

 (medicme). When I work for the chief and when I sweep his lodge, 

 I sweep all the bad things outside. It will be the same with this 

 medicine. If a pereon partakes of something bad, he will not die, 

 no matter how bad it is, but, on the contrary, he will live. Now 

 when you wish to use this medicine, pour some tobacco for me and 

 I will smoke it. ' Tlien he looked at the loon and the loon had some- 

 thing growing out of his back. That is what he was referring to. 

 Then the loon said again, ' Wlien you want to dig it, don't dig it right 

 away (i. e., without performing the proper rites). You must offer a 

 white feather, a white deei-skin. red feathers, and tobacco. Then 

 you can dig it. If you. make these offerings, you will never fail in 



