32 Bringier on the Ilegioii of the ^Mississippi, <^r. 



the fattest for the old people, and the remainder is divided 

 among all the others. 



They have prophets, whom they call thinkers; they pro- 

 phesy many absurdities, which they pretend are communi- 

 cated to thera by messengers of the Great Spirit, with vi^hom 

 they can converse when they are in a profound sleep, occa- 

 sioned by a certain somniferous beverage, which they know 

 how to prepare. They are very adroit in playing a number 

 of tricks which, to the Indians, appear to be of a very seri- 

 ous nature, and some of them would surprise our own show 

 masters. The most extraordinary is a secret they pretend 

 to have, of a composition which preserves them altogether 

 from the action of fire. After anointing their hands with 

 this composition, which leaves no mark on the hand, they 

 take hold of large stones red hot,* which, even at arm's 

 length, would burn any other person. The acid of a kind 

 of prickly ash (zautoxilum) enters into Vae composition; that 

 is all I could find out. They likewise expose threads on a 

 round siliceous stone, in the fire ; they do not burn — but 

 this was known before : all silex has that property. The 

 rounder the stones are, the better they preserve the threadsj 

 and if they are perfectly round they preserve thera entirely. 

 I have seen also, several in the possession of some of the 

 French hunters on the Arkansas, which have manifested 

 that property. 



The Osage prophets are likewise their physicians. 



The Osage village on the Verdigris river, contains about 

 two hundred and fifty lodges or cabins, of about forty feet 

 by eighteen or twenty, placed with little regularity : some 

 are built with barks, and others with upright poles; they are 

 all nicel)'^^ covered with plated flags. The village stands in 

 a handsome and fertile prairie, where weeds grow twelve or 

 fourteen feet high. 



Near this village there are three beautiful mounts, which 

 may be eightj/^ or one hundred feet high ; the surface of one 

 is perfectly level, and is more than 150 yards in diameter. 

 The rest of the country, for a great distance round, is almost 

 level. The mounts afford three fine springs, which yield 

 good pure water, although the country is a calcareous one. 



^ Mr. Biin^ipi' does not inform us, whether he received this from liear- 

 siijj ; he relates it ivilh the air of belief, but possibly he meant it only as an 

 psamnle of lefrerdemain, where one thing appears to be done, and quite a 



'different nrip /'.>; done. — Edilor. 



