ASSINIBOINE AND SASKATCHEWAN INDIANS. 257 



" Great — is — the — man — who — walks — 

 In — the — mi ddle — of — the — Earth, — 

 He — is — the — only — true — Lord." 



The word " Lord" is not employed in the sense of supreme mas- 

 ter, but is rather intended to convey an idea of independence and 

 individual power ; and is better expressed in English, as the half- 

 breeds informed me, by the word " gentleman." 



The conjuror occasionally came out of the tent ; and whenever the 

 supposed Manitou or Fairy who was the alleged cause of the woman's 

 illness approached, a little bell, suspended from the poles supporting 

 the tent, tinkled, and gave the alarm ; the conjuror immediately 

 seized his drum, commenced his song, and, by his incantations, suc- 

 ceeded in pacifying the Manitou. These proceedings continued for 

 two nights ; and, at the close of the second night, after a prolonged 

 ringing of the little bell, violent shaking of the tent poles, loud beat- 

 ing of the drum, and chaunting of the words before quoted, the con- 

 juror announced that he had discovered the reasons of the Manitou' s 

 anger, and the means to appease it. 



You had a dream, said the conjuror, and when you rose in the 

 morning you promised to make an offering to the Manitou, you have 

 forgotten your pledge, and you are sick. 



The woman demanded what she had dreamt, and what she had 

 promised, avowing her ignorance of both dream and promise. But 

 the conjuror told her, that when the buffalo were around her tent 

 last winter, and no fear of starvation before her eyes, she had dreamed 

 that the buffalo would always surround her, that famine and sorrow 

 were always to be strangers to her, and, in gratitude, had vowed to 

 make a sacrifice of her best robes. The woman, wearied no doubt 

 with the conjuror's unceasing drum and song, probably too, believing 

 that a false confession was the lesser evil, as it might bring the pro- 

 mised relief, acknowledged that the conjuror was in the right. 

 The penalty she was told to pay consisted of the sacrifice of throwing 

 away of two robes, or double the amount of the promise she had 

 made, after which her health was to be restored. 



Scenes similar to the one just described may be witnessed when- 

 ever several families are camping together ; but the sacrifices required 

 to be made depend upon the ability of the deluded creatures to satisfy 

 the demands of the conjuror. 



" The Happy Hunting Grounds," the Heaven of Indians, so often 



