Chap. T. 
CONVEESATION ON EAIN-MAKING. 
25 
your medicine: sometimes not—he dies. When he is cured, you 
take the credit of what God does. I do the same. Sometimes 
God grants us rain, sometimes not. When he does, we take the 
credit of the charm. When a patient dies, you don’t give up trust 
in your medicine, neither do I when rain fads. If you wish me to 
leave off my medicines, why continue your own ? 
M. D.—I give medicine to living creatures witliin my reach, 
and can see the effects though no cure follows ; you pretend to 
charm the clouds, which are so far above us that your medicines 
never reach them. The clouds usually lie in one direction, and 
your smoke goes in another. God alone can command the clouds. 
Only try and wait patiently; God will give us rain without your 
medicines. 
R, i).—Mahala-ma-kapa-a-a!! Well, I always thought white 
men were wise till this morning. Who ever thought of making 
trial of starvation! Is death pleasant then ? 
M. jD.— Could you make it rain on one spot and not on 
another ? 
R, D .—^I wouldn’t think of trying. I like to see the whole 
country green, and uU the people glad; the women clapping 
their hands and giving me their ornaments for thankfulness, and 
lulldooing for joy. 
M> J ).—^I thinli you deceive both them and yourself. 
R, D.—-Well, then, there is a pair of us (meaning both are 
rogues). 
The above is only a specimen of their way of reasoning, in 
which, when the language is well understood, they are perceived 
to be remarkably acute. These arguments are generally known, 
and I never succeeded in convincing a single individual of their 
fallacy, though I tried to do so in every way I could think of. 
Their faith m medicines as charms is unbounded. The general 
effect of argument is to produce the impression that you are not 
anxious for rain at all; and it is very undesirable to allow the 
idea to spread that you do not take a generous interest in their 
welfare. An angry opponent of rain-making in a tribe would be 
looked upon as were some Greek merchants in England during 
the Eussian war. 
The conduct of the people during this long-continued drought 
was remarkably good. The women parted with most of their 
