The Spartans of the West 49 



After describing the rigid dieting that formed part of the 

 Indian's training, Eastman adds: 



" In the old days, no young man was allowed to use tobacco 

 in any form until he had become an acknowledged warrior and 

 had achieved a record." ("Ind. Boy.," p. 50.) 



PHYSIQUE 



We need but little evidence on this head. All historians, 

 hostile or friendly, admit the Indian to have been the finest 

 type of physical manhood the world has ever known. 

 None but the best, the picked, chosen and trained of the 

 whites, had any chance with them. Had they not been 

 crushed by overwhelming numbers, the Indians would 

 own the continent to-day. 



Grinnell says ("Indians of To-day," p. 7.): 



_ "The struggle for existence weeded out the weak and the 

 sickly, the slow and the stupid, and created a race physically 

 perfect, and mentally fitted to cope with the conditions which 

 they were forced to meet, so long as they were left to them- 

 selves. " 



Speaking of the Iroquois in primitive condition, Brinton 

 says that physically "they were unsurpassed by any other 

 on the continent, and I may even say by any other people 

 in the world." ("Th^e American Race," p. 82.) 



The most famous runner of ancient Greece was Phi- 

 dippides, whose record run was 152 miles in 2 days. 

 Among our Indians such a feat would have been consid- 

 ered very second rate. In 1882, at Fort EUice, I saw a 

 young Cree who, on foot, had just brought in despatches 

 from Fort Qu' Appelle (125 miles away) in twenty-five hours. 

 It created almost no comment. I heard little from the trad- 

 ers but cool remarks like, "A good boy " ; "pretty good run." 

 It was obviously a very usual exploit, among Indians, 



