370 Expedition to the 



sick, frustrating the designs of their enemies, and in giving 

 success to any enterprise in which they may be iembarked. 



Amongst all the tribes of the west, secret associations 

 or councils are common, the proceedings ot which are held 

 sacred, and not to be divulged, except when the interests of 

 the people are thought to require a disclosure. To these 

 councils, which they denominate medicine, or rather magic 

 feasts, none are admitted but the principal men of the nation, 

 or such as have signalized themselves by their exploits in 

 battle, hunting, stealing horses, or in any of the pursuits ac- 

 counted laudable by the Indians. 



They appear to have no laws, except such as grow out of 

 habitual usages, or such as are sanctioned by common con- 

 sent; and the execution of these seems to be vested entirely 

 in the chiefs and warriors, who are allowed to use the ut- 

 most severity, in enforcing order and subordination. 



In all their acts of devotion, as also on all occasions where 

 their confidence is to be won, or their friendship to be plight- 

 ed, the smoking of tobacco seems to be invariably regarded, 

 as an inviolable token of sincerity. They believe in the ex- 

 istence of a Supreme Being, whom they denominate " Master 

 of Life," or '' Good Spirit," but, of his attributes, their ideas 

 are vague and confused. 



They are, generally, in the habit of offering in sacrifice, a 

 portion of the game first taken in a hunting expedition, a part 

 of the first products of the field, and often a small portion of 

 the food provided for their refreshment. In smoking they 

 generally direct the first puff upward and the second down- 

 ward to the earth, or the first to the rising and the second to 

 the setting sun, after which they inhale the smoke into their 

 lungs, and puff it out through the nostrils, for their own re- 

 freshment. 



They have some indistinct notion of the immortality of the 

 soul, but appear to know no distinction of heaven or hell, 

 Elysium or Tartarus, as the abode of departed spirits. 



The arts of civilized life, instead of exciting their emula- 

 tion, are generally viewed by the Indians as objects unwor- 

 thy of their attention. This results as a natural consequence, 

 from their habits of indolence. They are aware that much 

 labour is requisite in the prosecution of them, and being in- 

 ured, from their infancy to look upon manual labour of every 

 description, as a drudgery, that pertains exclusively to the 

 female part of their community, they think it degrading 

 te the character of men, to be employed in them. Hunt- 



