236 



INCANTATIONS. 



upon the padre, with the courtesy that belongs to his race, insisted upon 

 my accepting it. I was glad to have it in my power to acknowledge 

 the civility by pressing upon the padre a set of tumblers, neatly put up 

 in a morocco case, which had been given me by R. E. Johnson, first 

 lieutenant of the Vandalia. 



After dark he proposed that we should go out and see some of the 

 incantations of the Indians for the cure of the sick. We heard music 

 at a distance, and approached a large house whence it proceeded, in 

 which the padre said there was almost always some one sick. We 

 listened at the door, which was closed. There seemed to be a number 

 of persons singing inside. I was almost enchanted myself. I never 

 heard such tones, and think that even instrumental music could not be 

 made to equal them. I have frequently been astonished at the power 

 of the Indians to mock animals; but I had heard nothing like this be- 

 fore. The tones were so low, so faint, so guttural, and at the same time 

 so sweet and clear, that I could scarcely believe they came from human 

 throats; and they seemed fitting sounds in which to address spirits of 

 another world. 



Some one appearing to approach the door, the priest and I fled; 

 for, though we were mean enough to listen at a man's door, we were 

 ashamed to be caught at it ; but hearing nothing further we returned, 

 and Ijurra, with his usual audacity, pushed open the door and proposed 

 to enter. The noise we made in opening the door caused a hasty retreat 

 of some persons, which we could hear and partly see ; and when we 

 entered, we found but two Indians — an old man and a young one — sitting 

 on the floor by a little heap of flaming copal, engaged in chewing 

 tobacco and spitting in an earthen pot before them. The young man 

 turned his face to the wall with a sullen look, and although the old man 

 smiled when he was patted on the head and desired to proceed with his 

 music, yet it was with a smile that had no mirth or satisfaction in it, 

 and that showed plainly that he was annoyed, and would have expressed 

 his annoyance had he dared. 



The hut was a large one, and appeared larger in the gloom. There 

 was a light burning in the farther end of it, which looked to be a mile 

 ofT; Ijurra strode the distance and found it to be just twenty-four paces. 

 There were a number of hammocks slung one above the other between 

 the posts that supported the roof, and all seemed occupied. In one 

 corner of the house was built a small partition of cane, in which I 

 understood was confined a young girl, who was probably looking at us 

 with curious eyes, but whom we could not see. I had been told before 

 that it was the custom among most of the Indians of the Montana to 



