" THE HAPPY HUNTING-GROUNDS." 



131 



happy breeze blowing in my face. I sank to sleep, and 

 woke alone in my tent in these prairies again." 



Whatever faith the Indian medicine men possess in the 

 efficacy of their charms, it is certain that they entertain 

 great respect for the white man's medicine. A laughable 

 incident occurred at the Touchwood Hills. The conjuror, 

 of whom mention has just been made, entered a room 

 at this Post where I was sitting with Mr. and Mrs. EL, 

 who were temporarily in charge. The Indian and a 

 companion seated themselves upon one of my boxes 

 which contained a small medicine chest. Mrs. H. asked 

 me to give her some sticking plaster. I crossed the room 

 to open the medicine chest, when Mrs. H. (a half-breed) 

 said to her husband, in the Cree language : " Will his 

 medicines do me any harm if I stop here while he opens 

 them?" Mr. .H. answered jestingly, "Yes, you had 

 better go into the other room." On motioning the 

 Indians to move, they rose, and I opened the chest. The 

 moment they saw the bottles, they hurried out of the 

 room, hastened to the summit of a neighbouring hill, 

 and, divesting themselves of every article of clothing, 

 shook their garments repeatedly, and after hanging them 

 on bushes in the sun, squatted on their haunches to await 

 the deodorizing influence of the breeze. 



In the valley of the Qu'appelle River, we frequently 

 found offerings to Manitou or Fairies suspended on 

 branches of trees ; they consisted of fragments of cloth, 

 strings of beads, shreds of painted buffalo hide, bears' 

 teeth and claws, and other trifles. Our half-breeds 

 always regarded them with respect, and never molested 

 or liked to see us molest these offerings to Manitou. 

 This custom prevails everywhere in the valley of Lake 

 Winnipeg, and on the banks of the settled parts of Eed 



K 2 



