THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 357 



THE MYSTERY-THING. 



On the center of this little frame rested some small object which I could not exactly 

 understand from the distance of 20 or 30 feet which intervened between it and my 

 eye. I started several times from my seat to approach it, but all eyes were instantly 

 upon me, and every mouth in the assembly sent forth a hush — sh — ! which brought 

 me back to my seat again, and I at length quieted my stifled curiosity as well as I 

 could upon learning the fact that so sacred was that object, and so important its 

 secrets or mysteries, that not I alone, but even the young men who were passing the 

 ordeal, and all the village, save the conductor of the mysteries, were stopped from 

 approaching it or knowing what it was. 



This little mystery- thing, whatever it was, had the appearance from where I sat of a 

 small tortoise or frog, lying on its back, with it head and legs quite extended, and wound 

 and tasseledV)ff with exceedingly delicate red and blue and yellow ribbons or tassels 

 and other bright colored ornaments, and seemed, from the devotions paid to it, to be 

 the very nucleus of their mysteries — the sanetissimus sanctorum, from which seemed to 

 emanate all the sancity of their proceedings, and to which all seemed to be paying 

 the highest devotional respect. 



This strange, yet important essence of their mysteries, I made every inquiry about; 

 but got no further information of than what I could learn by my eyes, at the distance 

 at which I saw it, and from the silent respect which I saw paid to it. I tried with 

 the doctors, and all of the fraternity answered me that that was great medicine, assur- 

 ing me that it " could not be told." So I quieted my curiosity as well as I could by 

 the full conviction that I had a degree or two yet to take before I could fathom all 

 the arcana of Indian superstitions, and that this little, seemingly wonderful, relic of 

 antiquity, symbol of some grand event, or "secret too valuable to be told," might 

 have been at least nothing but a silly bunch of strings and toys, to which they pay 

 some great peculiar regard, giving thereby to some favorite spirit or essence an ideal 

 existence, and which, when called upon to describe, they refuse to do so, calling it 

 great medicine for the very reason that there is nothing in it to reveal or describe. 



KNIFE, CORDS, AND SKEWERS. 



Immediately under the little frame or scaffold described, and on the floor of the 

 lodge, was placed a knife, and by the side of it a bundle of splints or skewers, which 

 were kept in readiness for the infliction of the cruelties directly to be explained. 

 There were seen also, in this stage of the affair, a number of cords of rawhide, hang- 

 ing down from the top of the lodge, and passing through its roof, with which the 

 young men were to be suspended by the splints passed through their flesh, and drawn 

 up by men placed on the top of the lodge for the purpose as will be described in a 

 few moments. 



OTHER ARTICLES USED IN THE RITES. 



There were also four articles of great veneration and importance lying on the floor 

 of the lodge, which were sacks, containing in each some three or four gallons of water. 

 These also were objects of superstitious regard, and made with great labor and much 

 ingenuity, each one of them being constructed of the skin of the buffalo's neck, and 

 most elaborately sewed together in the form of a large tortoise lying on its back, with 

 a bunch of eagle's quills appended to it as a tail, and each of them having a stick, 

 shaped like a drumstick, lying on them, with which, in a subsequent stage of these 

 ceremonies, as will be seen, they are beaten upon by several of their mystery-men as 

 a part of the music for their strange dances and mysteries. By the side of these sacks, 

 which they call eeli-teeh-ka, are two other articles of equal importance, which they 

 call eeh-na-dee (rattles), in the form of a gourd-shell, made also of dried skins, and used 

 at the same time as the others in the music (or rather noise and din) for their 

 dances, &c. 



