528 TRIBES OF THE UPPER MISSOURI [BTH. ANN. 46 



this power in so remarkable a degree as to appear a kind of instinct. 

 At a distance of 12 or 15 miles they will distinguish animals from 

 timber, even supposing they are not in motion. If moving they will 

 discern between horses and buffalo, elk and horses, antelope and men, 

 a bear and a bull, or a wolf and a deer, etc. But the greatest mystery 

 is how they make out anything living to be there at such a distance, 

 on the instant, when they themselves are in motion and the animal at 

 rest. This they do when it is surrounded by a hundred other objects 

 as like to living creatures as it is. Once pointed out, the movements 

 are watched and its character thus determined. Their powers in this 

 respect are truly astonishing and must be acquired. They also judge 

 very correctly of the relative distances of objects, either by the eye 

 or to each other. Smoke can be seen rising on the plains at a distance 

 of 60 miles, and they will tell from that or any lesser distance within 

 a few miles of the place where it rises. Their ideas of location are 

 fully as remarkable. 



An Indian will shoot 20 or 30 arrows in different directions, and 

 to a distance of 100 yards or more among the tall grass, or in the 

 snow, where no trace of them remains, yet he will pick up the whole 

 without any difficulty ; whereas a white man would have some trouble 

 to find any one of the arrows. If they lose a whip, knife, or anything 

 in traveling they can by returning generally find it, though no road 

 marks their steps. Even the boys do all these things admirably. 

 Finding lost norses or a camp from a given direction are also every- 

 day occurrences, even if they have never been in the neighborhood 

 of the place, yet they will find their way. 



Jugglery and Sorcery 



These people are prone to be deceived in every way. Tricks by 

 jugglers, stories, natural phenomena, or anything, to them unac- 

 countable or uncommon is looked upon with fear. All are so, the 

 priests as well as the others. The former have the address to 

 turn to account their supposed knowledge of these causes — not 

 that they are really any wiser than the others, but impress them with 

 the belief that they are, which is enough for their purposes. The 

 minds of most Indians are disturbed by many useless alarms, such 

 as dreams, omens, and predictions of the priests. Writing or calcula- 

 tions in figures made by whites are among the wonders to which 

 great superstition is attached, and they can be made to believe almost 

 any story, however absurd, if read in appearance from a book. 

 Paintings also, even the nondescript monsters drawn by themselves, 

 inspire them with fear when looked upon. All this has met with 

 sufficient explanation elsewhere. 



