470 REPOET UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



ing the worst upon such a trial, decided to attempt a uew form of ititimi- 

 datioD. He auDounced that he was bullet-proof, and offered to allow 

 any Indian to shoot at him at a respectable distance, provided, always^ 

 that he be permitted to load the gun. The trick was a success, which 

 depended upon this reason, that in casting the bullets a piece of paper 

 was laid in the mould so as to cut the metal into hemispheres. When 

 the metal and paper were removed from the mould, the two pieces of 

 lead were placed together and the edges pressed down with the back of 

 a knife so as to cause sufficient lapping to make them adhere. In load- 

 ing, these were separated, and the fragments, on account of their semi- 

 spherical proportions, diverged sufficiently to cause no special danger to 

 the one fired at. After awhile the deception became known, when the 

 tribe demanded the enforcement of the old usage. So when a patient 

 was submitted to his charge, he would almost invariably prophesy a 

 fatal termination upon a given day. During this time infusions were 

 administered, M^hich were no doubt harmless ; but should the patient 

 show signs of recovery when death had been prophesied, another infusion 

 was substituted, which terminated to the credit of the "doctor." This 

 trickery was discovered, but the very audacity of the perpetrator saved 

 his life. 



It is next to impossible for a tribe so low in the scale of civilization 

 to have so much judgment in matters of this sort, and I therefore do not 

 claim that much credence can be placed upon the tale as given. 



I was informed but a short time since by Mr. Partz, of California, that 

 during a recent outbreak of small-])OX among the Pah-Utes, of Owen's 

 Valley, California, and Southwestern Nevada, many members of affected 

 iamilies were secretly put out of the way, as the disease is considered 

 a curse, and the sooner the afflicted family is disposed of the sooner will 

 the evil be removed. In what manner the victims disappeared cannot 

 be discovered ; sufficient is it to know that they have forever left their 

 terrestrial haunts. 



I witnessed a cure for colic in a Mojave which had been induced by 

 eating an over quantity of horse-flesh. A Pah-Ute, from Eio Virgen^ 

 presented himself as a " medicine-man" who, for the fee of one blanket, 

 offered to remove the evil spirit. The patient was laid upon the sand 

 face downwards, when the Pah-Ute placed one of his feet upon the for- 

 mer's back, over the afflicted spot; then j)ressing it gently as if he were 

 kneading it, he would accompany the movement with a mournful chant, 

 grasping the while at an imaginary object near his patient and i)retend- 

 iug to throw it violently into the air. After this had been continued for 

 nearly an hour, he rolled the patient over on his back, taking the head 

 and shoulders into his arms and sang, rocking himself from side to side, 

 repeating short phrases, and exorcising the spirit to leave; then after a 

 time, he would return to his former manner of treatment with renewed 

 vigor until about three hours had been consumed. When the Mojave 

 considered himself relieved, the Pah-Ute received his pay and departed. 

 During this performance great silence was observed, and we " who were 

 not of them" were frequently admonished for laughing. 



The Mojaves, since the arrival of the United States troops and the 

 floating element which usually precedes civilization, have been fearfully 

 afflicted with venereal diseases. These Indians are not noted for strict 

 adherence to marital vows or laws, neither are the girls for chastity, thus 

 affording an opportunity for remarkable and rapid progress of disease, 

 which has been doing more toward the gradual extinction of the race 

 than all other causes combined. They claim to gain relief in taking 

 certain quantities of the saline offloresconces which occur on the dry, 



