medicine  man  took  from  a  pouch  a  small  quantity  of
dried  leaves  and  sprinkled  a  pinch  on  each  fire,  causing
a  pungent,  aromatic  odor,  stronger  than  incense.
The  medicine  pipe  was  then  filled  and  lighted  by
the  medicine  man,  who,  holding  it  in  both  hands,  and
pointing  it  now  up,  now  down,  ejected  puff  after  puff
upward,  downward,  laterally,  over  the  fires,  over  the
pot,  over  the  images  of  horses,  and  in  every  direction,
as  if  to  envelop  everything  within  its  potent  influence.
The  chief  then  took  the  pipe  and  went  through  a
similar  performance.  He  then  informed  the  lieuten
ant  that  they  were  worshipping  the  Good  God,  and
trying  to  find  out  from  him  whether  they  were  going
to  have  plenty  of  ponies  this  year  —  and  so  dismissed
him.  This  is  the  only  instance  within  my  knowledge
of  a  white  man's  being  permitted  to  have  even  a  peep
at  these  sacred  mysteries.
The  interpreter  of  this  post  (Cantonment,  Indian
Territory),  a  white  man  married  to  a  Cheyenne
woman,  tells  me  that  they  hold  these  meetings  ax
irregular  intervals.  He  has  never  attended  one,  only
a  special  few  even  of  the  Indians  themselves  being
permitted  to  be  present.
The  points  of  resemblance  between  this  and  some
ceremonies  of  the  Jews,  Greeks,  Romans,  indeed,  of
almost  all  comparatively  primitive  nations,  are  worthy
of  note.  The  burnt-offering  in  the  cooked  food,  the
fires,  the  images  of  the  things  wished  for,  the  incense,
all  indicate  a  common  and  curious  instinct  of  man.
How  the  divine  intention  is  expressed  to  the  Indian
I  am  unable  to  ascertain.  In  my  description  of  indi
vidual  medicine- making  I  have  indicated  the  mode  of
divination,  and  the  method  in  this  case  is  presumably
much  the  same.
ED  CLOUD'S  ^A/AR BONNET,  DOUGLAS'S  TOBACCO  POUCH,  PIPES,  &c.
