260 SUPERSTITIONS AND CUSTaMS OF THE 



deter them from visiting their old haunts, and would probably be 

 instrumental in producing much suffering if not actual want to many 

 of the band. 



Sacrifices and offerings are of very frequent occurrence among the 

 Indians of the Saskatchewan Valley. The customary offerings consist 

 of two, three and sometime five dogs. At the mouth of the Qu'apelle 

 Eiver, an Indian, in June last, set his nets and caught a large fish 

 of a kind different to any with which he was familiar. He imme- 

 diately pronounced it to be a Manitou, and, carefully restoring it to 

 the water again, he at once sacrificed five valuable dogs to appease 

 the anger of the supposed fairy. On approaching Long Lake, an arm 

 of the Qu'apelle River Valley, the Crees warned us not to visit the 

 Lake by night, as it was full of devils. They told me very extraor- 

 dinary tales of the dimensions and power of these devils, and appeared 

 to live in awe and terror of them. Like most heathen and barbarous 

 races, the Indians suffer much from their superstitious fears. "When 

 the weather is fine and their tents are well supplied with provisions, 

 they are an independent and joyous people. Full of frolic, and fond 

 of relating anecdotes, they laugh immoderately at any trifling joke or 

 absurdity, and seem thoroughly to enjoy existence. A ridiculous in- 

 cident occurred in the tent belonging to the chief. Short-stick, in 

 which I played a more prominent part than I should have selected 

 had any choice been offered me. I heard of this incident again hun- 

 dreds of miles from the spot where it occurred as we journeyed home- 

 wards from the G-rand Forks. 



It happened thus. I visited Short-stick in his tent after a long and 

 tedious talk which lasted seven hours, relating to the object we had in 

 view in visiting the country. Three of Short-stick's wives were visible 

 with their children, forming altogether a party of eighteen or twenty, 

 I rose from the buffalo robe where I was seated by the side of Short- 

 stick to examine some arrows which one of his sons was making, and 

 when my curiosity was satisfied, I sat down on what I thought to be 

 a bundle of buffalo robes. I was a little astonished to feel the robes 

 move beneath me, and before I could rise and look into the cause, I 

 found myself projected into the middle of the tent among the embers, 

 by means of some violent spasmodic action from beneath the supposed 

 pile of robes. Short-stick and his three wives with the other inmates^ 

 shrieked with laughter, vociferating some words in Cree. MeanwhUey 

 the buffalo robes were slowly thrown on one side, and, to my aston- 



