390 THE WINNEBAGO TRIBE [eth. ann. 37 



a live thing seemed to have entered me. "Why did I do it?" I thought 

 to myself. I should not have done it, for right at the beginning I 

 have harmed myself. Indeed, I should not have done it. I am sure 

 it will injure me. The best thing will be for me to vomit it up. Well, 

 now, I will try it. After a few attempts I gave up. I thought to 

 myself, " WeU, now you have done it. You have been going around 

 trying everything and now j-ou have done something that has 

 harmed you. What is it ? It seems to be alive and moving around 

 in my stomach. If only some of my own people were here! Tliat 

 would have been better. Now no one wiU know what has happened 

 to me. I have killed myself." 



Just then the object was about to come out. It seemed almost out 

 and I put out my hand to feel it, but then it went back again. "O, my, 

 I should never have done it from the beginning. Never again will I 

 do it. I am surely going to die." 



As we continued it became day and we laughed. Before that I 

 had been unable to laugh. 



The following night we were to eat peyote again. I thought to 

 myself, "Last night it almost harmed me." "Well, let us do it 

 again," the}^ said. "All right, I'll do it." So there we ate seven 

 peyote apiece. 



Suddenly I saw a big snake. I was very much frightened. Tlien 

 another one came crawling over me. "My God! where are these 

 coming from?" There at my back there seemed to be something. 

 So I looked around and I saw a snake about to swallow me entirely. 

 It had legs and arms and a long tail. The end of this tail was like 

 a spear. "0,-my God! I am surely going to die now," I thought. 

 Then I looked again in another direction and I saw a man with horns 

 and long claws and with a spear in his hand. He jumped for me and I 

 threw myself on the ground. He missed me. Then I looked back 

 and this time he started back, but it seemed to me that he was direct- 

 ing his spear at me. Again I threw myself on the ground and he 

 missed me. There seemed to be no possible escape for me. Then 

 suddenly it occurred to me, "Perhaps it is this peyote that is doing 

 this thing to me?" "Help me, O medicine, help me! It is jou who 

 are doing this and you are holy! It is not these frightful visions that 

 are causing this. I should have known that you were doing it. 

 Help me!" Then my suffering stopped. "As long as the earth 

 shall last, that long will I make use of you, O medicine!" 



This had lasted a night and a day. For a whole night I had not 

 slept at all. 



Then we breakfasted. Then I said, when we were through, " Let 

 us eat peyote again to-night." That evening I ate eight pe\ote. 



In the middle of the night I saw God. To God living up above, 

 our Father, I prayed. " Have mercy upon me! Give me knowledge. 



