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sea-gull, crow, or other form assumed by the soul fluttered as if exhausted 
the scouts were hard pressed, whereas if it flew steadily over the camp they 
were not yet in grave danger. The low whistling of a flute within the 
camp itself conveyed a warning that enemies were lurking in the neigh- 
bourhood. 
On the eve of an attack the warriors built a wigwam, or, if in thick 
woods, used the trees as a canopy. They chose a spot that was clear of 
all obstructions towards the south, and permitted no one to pass between 
their wigwam and the sun. Then they danced round a fire in the centre 
of the lodge, raised a huge boulder above the flames, and sitting in a 
circle all around, rose and danced in turn to the beating of a drum. Each 
man sang his medicine-song, and called for aid to his guardian spirit. 
Warriors had real medicine power in those days, say the Parry Islanders. 
The leader raised the hot, heavy stone in his right hand and its strength 
passed into his body, another warrior sang his medicine-song and a hawk 
flew overhead, or a dog made its appearance on the outskirts of the camp. 
Each man in turn thus displayed his powers. The party then advanced 
to the attack, hiding their drum and their medicine bags under roots or 
in hollow stumps, and carrying forward only their weapons. 
The weapons of the Lake Huron Ojibwa, as the Parry Islanders 
remember them, were the bow and arrow, a knife, a war-club, and a ball 
of stone wrapped in leather and fastened by a thong to a short stick. 
The stick was thrown at the shoulder of a fleeing enemy so that the ball 
would swing down and strike him in the stomach, when he could be dis- 
patched with the club. The knobbed club was generally made of hickory, 
and fitted occasionally with a stone point secured in a socket with pitch. 
Warriors wore cuirasses of moosehide, and carried round or oblong shields 
that were usually made of moosehide also, but occasionally from the 
carapace of a turtle. They daubed streaks of white clay on their faces, 
or of red and black paint, mingled, as a rule, with “medicines”; and 
although they followed no fixed pattern, they all carefully painted alike 
so that they could recognize each other during the fighting. The perfect 
warrior was supposed to be so light of foot that he never crushed an ant, 
and so adept at concealing himself that his presence was never suspected. 
It was customary, therefore, to practice disappearing tricks before going 
to war. Two men approaching a party along a trail would suddenly 
vanish, and reappear a few minutes later walking in the opposite direction 
some distance away. Some of the Parry Islanders were actually prac- 
tising this trick during the Great War of 1913-1919, from an apprehension 
that the conflict might extend into their district. 
Victorious warriors carried off the scalps of their enemies, sometimes 
also a few bones to mix with their medicines. When returning from a 
fight they sent forward a messenger to- notify the main camp, and the 
women went out to meet them. Later they celebrated the victory by 
setting up the scalps on poles and dancing around them in full war panoply 
— a knife at the waist, bow and arrows in the left hand, and a club on 
the right shoulder. 
Although all warriors possessed medicines to protect them in crises 
their medicines were not of equal strength and gave no absolute assurance 
