SWANTON] INDIAN'S OP THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES 797 



author of the Luxembourg Memoir tells us how supernatural powers, 

 including the healing of diseases, were attained : 



In order to attain these sublime functions a savage shuts himself into his cabin 

 alone for nine days without eating, with water only; everyone is forbidden to 

 disturb him. There, holding in his hand a kind of gourd filled with shells, with 

 which he makes a continual noise, he invokes the Spirit, prays Him to speak to 

 him and to receive him as a doctor and magician, and that with cries, howls, con- 

 tortions and terrible shakings of the body, until he gets himself out of breath 

 and foams in a frightful manner. This training being completed at the end of 

 nine days, he comes out of his cabin triumphant and boasts of having been in 

 conversation with the Spirit and of having received from Him the gift of healing 

 maladies, driving away storms, and changing the weather. From that time they 

 are recognized as doctors and are very much respected ; people have recourse to 

 them in sickness and to obtain favorable weather ; but it is always necessary to 

 carry presents. It sometimes happens that having received them, if the sick 

 person is not cured or the weather does not change, the doctor is killed as an 

 imposter; a fact which causes the most skillful among them only to receive 

 presents when they see an appearance of cure or of change in the weather, 

 (Swanton, 1911, pp. 178-179.) 



Le Petit's description of their method of practice, while unsympa- 

 thetic, is perhaps the best we have : 



All their art consists in different juggleries ; that is to say, that they dance and 

 sing night and day about the sick man and smoke without ceasing, swallowing 

 the smoke of the tobacco. These jugglers eat scarcely anything during all the 

 time that they are engaged in the cure of the sick, but their chants and their 

 dances are accompanied by contortions so violent that, although they are entirely 

 naked and should naturally suffer from cold, yet they are always foaming at the 

 mouth. They have a little basket in which they keep what they call their spirits ; 

 that is to say, small roots of different kinds, heads of owls, small parcels of the 

 hair of fallow deer, some teeth of animals, some small stones or pebbles, and 

 other similar trifles. 



It appears that to restore health to the sick, they invoke without ceasing that 

 which they have in their basket. Some of them have there a certain root which 

 by its smell can put serpents to sleep and render them senseless. After having 

 rubbed their hands and body with this root, they take hold of those reptiles 

 without fearing their bite, which is mortal. Sometimes they cut with a flint, the 

 part affected with the malady, and then suck out all the blood they can draw 

 from it, and in returning it immediately into a dish, they at the same time spit 

 out a little piece of wood, or straw, or leather, which they have concealed 

 under the tongue. Drawing it to the attention of the relatives of the sick man, 

 "There," say they, "is the cause of the sickness." These medicine men are always 

 paid in advance. If the sick man recovers their gain is very considerable, but if 

 he should die they are sure to have their heads cut off by the relatives or friends 

 of the deceased. This invariably takes place, and even the relatives of the 

 medicine man find nothing at all of which to complain, and do not testify any 

 concern. (Thwaites, 1897-1901, vol. 68, pp. 150-157 ; Swanton, 1911, pp. 179-180. ) 



The cupping horn was also used. According to Du Pratz : 



The alexis never use lancets to draw blood, but when they have a sick person 

 who they think needs to be bled they take a splinter of flint with which they make 



