Navajo methods of curing Ague

104 FOREST AND STREAM. ^[March

^{3, 1887.}

bank. Seeing a forlornchance ofgetting afloat inthe next honrortwo,I

jumped

intothedinghywith the grains

and

poledovertothefirstchannel throughour bank. I did nothavelong to wait, for along

came

a big shark.

He saw me

aboutthetime

when

I let drive the grains.

Striking

him

fairinthe back,hedarted off,

making

the line

hum

asit

went

overthebow. 1 went

down

inthe stern,grasping the line inboth hands,having it rove throughthering in the stem. ^Iwaitedforthestrain;it

came

soonenoughand atright angles to fore and aft, slewing thelittleboat around.

We went

offwitha rush,

making

a

wake

likea

tow

boat. It

was

allrightenough as long as he stuck to open water,buttherascal,he dodged through the channel, turned the corner and stranded

me

onthebar,hekept righton withthegrains.

This

made

thesecondpairlost.

Afterwarpingthe Bessie off the bar

we

continuedon ourcourseforthe creek,missing ^it by standingontoo farandgettingour bearingson

Low

Key;

we

aboutship

and

finallyfound it by running on a

mud

flat at its

mouth, hiddenbya small

mango

key. Theartist and I tookarun

up

the creekto

make

observations and found

it alivewith fish and game.

On

passing through the creekwiththe Bessie

we

hadthe tide againstus,

which

gaveus plentyof exercisewiththe poles.

We worked

throughtothe southsideof

Key

Largo, andstood N.E.

forCaptain Albury'splantation,where

we

receiveda very hearty

welcome

indeed.

He

hasa large

number

ofacres undercultivation,raisingtomatoes, bananas, cocoanuts, fineapples,^etc. Thiswasthe firstandonly placewhere

saw

pineapplesthriving.

They

can be profitably culti- vatedas farnorthas

Key

Biscayne

Bay

Keys,for profit but not further north.

The

land isvery broken and stony,and one canstepfromstoneto stone. The soil is

remarkably^fertile, the produce growing to perfection.

We

passed averypleasant afternoonand evening with the family.

The

next morning they

would

insist on loading us

up

with an abundance of the good things

from

theirgardens, one

bunch

ofladyfinger bananas beingallourcookcouldcarry.

We

had nopilotnow,as

we

couldfindthebottom aboutasreadilyas hecould,so

we

turned

him

intoacook withoutprejudice. Thepine- apples, ripeandjustofftheplants,werefine.

We

were next

bound

for Taylor's Riveronthe main- land,westof(northfromTaverhier Creek. Althoughthe captaintoldus

we drew

too

much

water toreachit,

we

werebentontrying,sorunning back throughthecreek, withfairwind,"werannorth forTaylor'sRiver,keeping tothewestwardof

Low

and

Walker

Keys. Aftersailing along anarrow sandbarforseveralmiles,

we

ranthrough a narrow channel about 15ft.wide and entered Barne's Sound,

We

foundTaylor's Riverat sunset, aftera two days'run.

We

passedvery

many game

birdsonthe bars or

wading

inthe shoal spots,including a great

many

flamingoes,curlewsandplover,ducksandcranes. Here

we saw

our first alligators,there were lotsof thebulls bellowingallnight.

The

banksoftheriverarelow and composedofhardyellowclay,which hadtheappearance from adistanceof being rock. Allsandandstonehad disappeared,and there

was

nothingbut the softestkind of

mud

onevery hand.

We

cruised

up

the river for a whole day.

The

water

was

about10ft.deepand200yds.

wide, the low banks covered with palmetto and cane brake growth,andoccasionallyabroadsavannahdotted withislands. Probablyinthewetseason thewholecoun- tryisunderwater; I

saw

high water

marks

10ft. above the banks. Itisthemost forsaken andforlorn placeI ever beheld.

The

colorofthewaterisbrown,the cm-rent sluggish and all one way,showing it to beoneofthe

many

outlets of the great evergladesandlakesof south- ernFlorida. So

we

leftwithout regret,althoughit had atfirstinterestedusverymuch.

Passingalongtothewestward,

we

looked forAltahoo- chee River,

which

is a cut off, leading from Barne's

Sound

into

White Water

Bay. Following eachbarand shoal

we

weregradually forcedtothesouthardand then eastward,

when we

became convincedthat Capt.Albury

was

right.

Then

to getbackwas thenextmove,which

ittook

two more

days to accomplish.

From

the gaff I

saw

two porpoises nearat hand; trying a shotat

them

withtherifle,they headed outward and ran through a smallchannel that

we

hadpassed,and

which

provedto be theone

we

hadpassedthroughfourdays previous, so thenandthere

we

toastedthe

two new

pilotswithawill asthey disappearedtothesouthward showingus the

way

todeeper water.

Againarrivingatthechannelthroughthe long baroff Tavernier Creek,afteranabsenceof severaldayscruising

we

were

more

than convincedthata boat drawing

more

than14in.ofwaterisnotsuitable for keycruising.

Our

nextcourse

was

southwest,backto

Duck Key

and then northwest to Cape ^Sable, passing between

West

Horseneckand MiddleShoalandwestofSand Key,reach- ingCapeSableatsunset ofsecond day. Partofthetime

we

wereoutofsight ofland with 4to6ft.ofwater;dis- tance run,

two

dayssailing

from

IndianorChannel

Key

toSable fortymiles.

We

foundaharboroffacreekat Northwest Cape

and had

anall nightdrumfishserenade undertheboat'sbottom.

Our

tent in themorning

was wet

withthe

dew

forthefirsttime.

Ran

intoHarney'sRivernextday. Shot

two

pinkcur- lews

—

a beautifulbird.

Saw

hundredsof alligators.

By

shootingfromthegafftheycanbe killed as they swim.

Thisisa difficultthing to do from deck,for theyonly

show

theireyesandthetipofthenoseabovewater. The ballfrom deckisaptto skip,

when

aplungingshot

from

aloftwillkillevery time. The'gator sinks, turning his yellow belly up,and canbeeasilyseenand picked

up

on one's return several hours afterward.

We saw

any

amount

ofdeer tracksonshore,andfindingacrossingon theriver

we

killed

two

in the evening of about lOOlbs.

each,abuck anddoe. Themosquitoes after sunset are dreadful; withthehootingoftheowl andthe bellowing ofthe'gatorsitkeeps things prettylivelyafter nightfall.

Thisisanotherriver full tothe brim ofeverglade water running through a perfectly flatcountry covered with

tall grass and canebrakes, in

which

lurk bears, deer, wildcats, rattlesnakesand moccasins by the thousand.

We

see

them

everydayand with the'gators tokeep it livelyitcannotbe a very nice place for anervousperson to residein. Theartisthas a great fondnessfor bathing, which hegratifies

by

strippinginthedinghy towingastern, thentaking apailofwater and having a showerbath.

He went

over backward yesterday(the

maneuver

being caused by a suddenjerk on thepainter) into about10ft.

ofwater,

which was

alivewithsharks.

He

lostno time ingettingon boardthedinghy

when we

castofftheline;

ordinarilyheisthemostdeliberate

man

I ever saw;some mightcallitlaziness,buthe forgothisdeliberationfor a minute.

Running up

the several riversin passing along the coast

we

found agreatsimilarityinscenery.

We

stopped at differentfavorable pointsonthe beach,sometimes for asketchbytheartist,andagain for

wood

for the stove.

Ihavelong sinceon formercruisesthrown overboardthe oilstove,withall itsnastiness.

My

attention,whilewalk- ingalong thesandy beach hunting rare shells,

was

one dayattractedbythewild exclamationsoftheartist,

who

asusual

had

lingeredbehind sketchingacabbage palm.

Running

back and lookingto where he pointed I

saw

risingabovethetough beachgrasstheheadsof

two

large rattlers. Beside

them

laytheartist'ssketch book,andto thisdayithasremainedamystery

why

he

was

notbitten.

Keeping at a safe distance he"asked

me

tohold

them

while hegotthe

gun

out of the sloop.

He

broughtthe shotgun

and

Igave

them

a barrel apiece,

which

finished

them up

infineshape,and

we

soon

had them

stretched outonthesandalongsideof tapeline.

One had

twelve rattlesand measured6ft.o^in.,the other ninerattlesand measured6ft.;onemeasured 14in. incircumference; the odorfrom

them

was immense.

At

the Ten ThousandIslands

we

entered one of the

many

channels,firstat lowtide fishing

up

abagfullof oysters.

We

^cruised

among

the islands for

two

days,

When

aftertheseconddayitwasonly

by

close attention to thecompass that

we

found our

way

outof thelaby- rinthofdeep channelsall full of

brown swamp

water.

Some

oftheislands ata distance showedthefoliage as whiteassnow,froni thedroppingsofthebirds,forhere weretheroosts ofmillionsofbirdsof

many

kinds. Cho- coliskaand Casimba keys eachcontainone

immense

shell

mound,

perhaps 100ft. indiameter and 50 to 75ft. in height. Therearesmallerones furtherupthecoast.

On

digging into

them we

foundseveralkindsof shells per- haps carriedtherebythe Indians. These are thefirst elevatedgroundsnorthofCapeSable.

They

areoccupied byspongers.

At

severalplaces in thevicinitytherehas been afeeble attempt atcocoanutandsugar-canegrow- ing. The ^soil isrich enough, but the annualoverflow causesvery uncertainresults. Itishardto

remember

that

it iswinter, with such perfect weather, enjoying every houras

we

cruisealong, findingplentyof harborsanda surfeitof

game

andfish.

A

fullaccountofallour experi-

encewould^fillavolume. V.

W.

AddressallcommunicationstotheForestand StreamPith.O.

"OFFICIAL EXTERMINATION."

EditorForest

and

Stream:

InForest

and Stream

forFeb.8isacommunication entitled "OfficialExtermination,"andsigned "C.H,H.,"

which

severelycriticisesMr.C.H.

Townsend

forhaving been instrumental in procuring for ijie IT.S.National

Museum

the skinsandskeletonsof sixteen sea elephants.

Prof.Bairdisalso

condemned

bythe author for having instructed Mr.

Townsend

toobtain these specimens.

As

Mr.

Townsend

isbyreason of absence unabletospeakfor himself,Itake thelibertyof brieflyreplyingfor

him

and furnishing "C.H. A."with thefactsinthecase.

Mr.Townsend,whileinSanFrancisco,

made

arrange- ments withtheownersoftheschoonerLaura to accom- pany that vessel on a sealingtrip,for the purposeof obtainingsea elephants, aliberalofferhaving been

made

in order that the skinsandskeletons of suchasmightbe killedshould be preservedfor scientific purposes instead of being

made

^{intocommercial}hides orthrown away.

Thistrip

was

unsuccessful,and Mr.

Townsend

returned toWashington,leavinghis offerstillopen.

On

thenext trip oftheLaura^{sixteen sea}elephants were killed and preserved,although

owing

totheunfortunate absenceof Mr.

Townsend

the skeletons were rather roughly pre- pared, and reached

Washington

in a decidedly

mixed

condition.

Thisact of "officialextermination" thusresolvesitself intothe fact that a price

was

placed onthe skins

and

skeletonsofsea elephantssufficientlylargetoinducethe dealerstosave

them

insteadofallowing

them

to rot

upon

the beach. Butforthe foresightof Prof.Bairdandthe energyofMr.

Townsend

therewould be to-day hardlya specimento

show

thatthishuge animaleverexisted,and Mr.

Towmsend

is to be congratulatedon havingsecured forscienceeven a

few

immature individualsofthis,our largestpinniped.

Had

thecritic'sassumptions beencor- l'ectandthe"finaltragedy"takenplaceundertheeyeof Mr.Townsend,itwouldstillhave been far bettertohave securedallthespecimenspossiblefor scientific purposes, although at the risk ofexterminating the race,thanto have leftthe survivorstothetender merciesoftheseal hunters. "C. H.A." himself

bemoans

thefatethatbefell the rhytina, thedodo andgreatauk,andyetheequally bewails thefact thatthe sea elephant has beenrescued from the same rapidlyimpending doom. For

doomed

thishuge animal was fromthe

moment

ofitsdiscovery, bothbyhabitand location,and its final extermination has been merelya question of time,and ofverylittle time at that. There is no case on record where sentimental considerations or evenachanceofpossible futureprofithas spared thelifeof a singlecreaturewhose death would cause the immediate gain of a single dollar. "After us the deluge"seemstobe themottoof the

American

race,and the sea elephant doesbut

mark

the pathofextermination

down

whichso

many

denizens ofour woods and waters are being hurried.

We

learn fromMr.Townsend's paper

how

thefew animalsspared bythe Liberty in 1884 were promptly sweptoutof exist- ence bythecrewof the nextvessel toappear

upon

the scene,andit is too easyamatterto imagine

how

long would have been the livesofanyspar-ed bytheLaura.

Lower

California is quitebeyondthejurisdiction ofthe United States, but did the territory lie within our boundaries it isthemerestfolly tosuppose that thelaw which is powerlesstoprotect thesealsonthe Farallone Islandscoulddoso

anyw

hereelse.

From

the sixteen individuals secured,specimens have alreadybeensent totheBritish

Museum,

tothe

Museum

ofComparativeZoology, theAmerican

Museum

ofNatural

•History

and

the Philadelphia

Academy

ofScience. Itis

just possiblethat "C.H. A."

would

prefer that these skins shouldhave been

made

into leather andtheirbonesleft towhiten ontheshore,butitistobehopedthatthissup- position is notcorrect.

No

onedeploresthe destruction ofanimals

more

thandoes the presentwriter,andyethe deemsthe slaughterofthe sea elephants not onlyjustifia-

blebutcommendable. F.A.L.

Washington,Feb.20, 1887.

NAVAJO METHODS _{OF CURING} AGUE.

BY

DR. H. C.

YARROW.

[Readbefore the Anthropological SocietyofWashington.]

FROM

^{the earlier periods of historic time} uptothe present day, the practiceof medicine has partaken largelyof an occult and superstitious character,which doesnot,evenwith

more

advanced mental enlightment, improveas

we

have reason to expect. To-day

we

hear

among

our

own

peopleof faithand prayer curesforthe relief of disease,ofthe laying on of liands,andofthe miraculous effect of certain waters, charms, relicsand conjurations,andthis being the presentcivilized status,

we

should withall charity be tolerant of the peculiar viewsheldwithregardtothe cureof phj^sicaland mental disordersbytheIndian doctorandhis patient.

No

onewillventure to say that theearlierphysicians sprangintotheperformanceofhealing functionsatonce;

thegrowthofthe arthasbeengradual,andlargelyem- pirical,andthishasbeenthe case not only with the

more

civilized races,butalsowiththe savageones. It istrue, as has been statedbyour distinguished presidentand others, that the Indian has no absolute and definite knowledgeofthe causationofcertain diseases,believing that

many

of

them

areproduced byevildemons,spirits orgods. Butthatheisabsolutelyignorantofthe cause andeffectwithregardtoremedial agentsIdo notbelieve.

If

we

denyempiricalobservationtothe Indian,

we

must then ascribeto instinctalone the faculty he evinces in choosingcertain herbs,or other medicinal substancesfor the careof hisailments. Animals are their

own

physi- cians,and itmustbeinstinctor transmitted hereditary experiencewhichleads

them

to select particularplantsand herbsto relieveoccasional illhealth. Thequestion

may

wellbe asked,

what

partdoinstinctandexperience playin thischoice?

Any

onefamiliarwiththegradual progress ofmedicalsciencemustadmit,ifnot biasedbytheviews ofa particular school,that etiologyisnotofprimeneces- sityin therapeutics,as

we

find different

men

of different pathologicalviews, prescribing opposites quite frequently and havingequallygoodsuccess.

Briefly,it

may

besaidthenthat the Indian's primary viewof disease(excluding surgical injuries)is that itis

caused

by

abadspiritor evil god,his secondaryideaof it being derived from actual empirical observation.

And,actinguponthese

two

theories, he applies as best he canthe

means

at his disposal.

To

meetthenecessities ofthefirsthehires his

shaman

ormedicine man,forthe secondheuses such simples as he hasbeen taught by experiencewillbeof benefit. TheIndianis a tolerably fairanatomistandamoderatelygood surgeon,he seems tounderstandtherelation ofcertainmusclestothe bones, andinhistreatmentoffracturesheoften putsto

shame

hiswhitebrother.

He knows

that in delayedparturition, insomecasesprolonged epulsine efforts are necessary;

and hehascertainmethodsofbringing aboutthis result which, ifnot quiteas elegant as those taught by the schoolsand approved by Lucina, are equally effective.

Thisisthe result of reasoning pure and simple, and I think

we

shoidd be unjust did

we

fail to ascribe to

him more

reasoning powers and reflections in thisregard thanwhiteshave usually credited

him

with. That he believes

more

than his original theory ofthe demoniac origin of disease,cannotbe doubted,for

when

he finds thatthe prayers and incantations of hismedicine

man

failto relievehis suffering,

how

sagelyin

many

instances do

we

find

him

applyingto hiswhitebrotherforrelief.

Itwillbe noticed thatthroughoutthisentirenarrative, although themedicine

men

performcertain rites todis- lodge theevilspirits,atthesametimefromthe decoctions given,

we

mustinferthatthey recognized the existence of feverandsoughttoreducethisby

means

of diuretics, diaphoreticsandsweating,thiscertainlyindicates some- thingmore thana

mere

beliefin exorcism bynoise and prayers. Crudeasthe observations

may

beIhave brought

them

before the societyhoping that in the discussion which

may

foIIqw

we

shah be able to obtain an inter- changeof opinionwhichwillbe of valuetoallofus

who

areinterested inIndianmedicine.

. Ishouldstatethatthe greater part oftheinformation regarding theNavajo

method

ofcuring ague has been furnished

me

by

my

friendMr. A.M.Stephen,of

Keam's

CafLon, Ariz.,well

known

asa conscientiousand careful observerofIndian

myths

andcustoms.

With

thissb'ght introductionI

may

be permittedtoread the notes sent

me

byMr. Stephen:

Keam's Canon, Ariz., Sept.16,1886.

My Dear Doctor—

* * *

You may remember

having

met

here a Navajo ^friend of ours,oneof their silversmiths,

whom we

^familiarlycall "Johnthe Jewel- ler."

He went

overtothe

Kohonimo Canon and

stayed there four days. The dayafterleaving thecanonhe

was

taken with ague,and every dayfortwenty subsequent days he hadachillfollowedbyfeveranddelirium. The strangenessof thedisease had anextraordinary depress- ingeffecton him, and during thesetwentydayshe

was

in a state of utter coUapse.

He

is amedicine

man,

a minorpriestof considerable repute,andnumbers ofhis friends

came

to seehim. But noneof

them knew

aught about,or hadever seensuchadisease. Thepriestsand the patientwereinclinedtoattributeit to "abadsmell"

emanating fromtheKohonimos;butasthere

was

also a bandofwandering Pah-Utesthereduringthetimeofthe patient'svisit,theyarestilluncertain. Possibly the"bad smell"

may

have' originated with the Pah-Utes. The friends concludedin this emergencyto callinthe best medicinersoftheregion. The sequenceofthedifferent medicinersin thiscase

may

be takenas typical in simi- larcases,thatis,wherethe patientissufferingfrom

some uncommon

or

unknown

^{disease, or one considered}

speciallydangerous.

It istobe understood thateachofthesemediciners is alsoapriest,in the sense of beingarecognized

medium

ofcommunication between

men

andthe gods,byvirtue oftheritesandsong-prayers pertainingtothe priesthood orfraternity.

Each

priesthood or fraternityhasits

own

exclusivebeliefs,rites,fetichesandsong-prayers.

Each

March

3,1887.]

FOREST AND STREAM. 105

priest, or

commonly two

associates ofthe

same

fraternity, while thev are practicing

upon

a patient,cannotbeas- sisted in their

own

particular ritesbyapriestofa differ-

,

entfraternity.

But

inthe chorus^ofsong-prayersandin the dances,

m

preparingfetichesand Band-picturealtars,¹ andinthe erection^of singing-houseandsweat-houses,it isexpected thatallmale visitorswill give willingassist- ance. Theseceremonies arealwaysliable tointerruption

— numerous

classes of accidents arising- eitherfrom chanceor design; or the happening of

some

bad

omen may

causean abrupt adandonment. Butthe fee ofthe medicinerisinvariablysettleduponbeforethetreatment begius,and

must

be unconditionally paid,no matter at

how

^earlyastage anaccident

may

have compelledthe priest to desist. Noris it reckoned whether,after the close ofthetreatment,the patient

may

bebetter orworse.

In other words,

payment

ofthe mcdiciner's ^fee iscon- sidered a religious duty, because it is well understood thatthegodsneverlisten until a giftisproffered them.

The

exactionof thefeeinthese degeneratedaysis now,

Ifear,prompted bya

more

sordid motive. Butthere are stillvery evident traces

among

both

Mold

and Navajo thatin earlierdays the"medicinefee''was merely^indi- catedbythegiftof an

emblem

frompatienttopriest—

a

feather,ashell,apinchof pollen,a whiff of smoke.

A

Substantialfeeis

now

usuallyproducedandappraisedbe- foreanyoftheceremoniesareenteredupon.

The

following

memoranda

mustbetakenasbutabrief

summary

oftheceremonies. I

aim

in this to give you but thegist ofthecuratio, I haveignored a multitude ofminor^rites,etc.,which,althoughinterestingas studies,

would

betiresometorecapitulate inthisinstance.

Thefirstpriest to officiate

was

Oj-kai-yos-na(Osh-ki- yos-nah). Theory

—

The rites and song-prayersof this priestare directedimmediatelytothe

Ye who

dwellsat the

mouth

ofthepitthrough whichallpeople

came up

to thisWorld,and through

which

thespiritsofthe deadre- turntothelowerworlds. Thispit,Ne-chro-yosc-cha-chee,

isintheconcave

summit

ofthat mountain hithenorth called Tjolf-i (Gho-le-he),desciabed by Dr.Matthewsin his"PartoftheNavajo'sMythology,"p.6.

Between

the patientandthe

mouth

ofthatpit,this priest

makes

afire

withcertainwoods,andbeside this fire thepriest sings prayerstothe

Ye who

"sitsonthisside"the

mouth

ofthe

pit.'

He

beseeches the

Ye

notto callthe patienttodescend the ladder leadingtothe regions of the dead.

He

rubs the ashesandrjulverizedcharcoalof hismedicinefire all over the body of the patient

—

^first having rubbed

him

withamixtureobtaiuedby meltingthefat of the bison, mountainsheep,elk,deeranda small portion of thefat ofthedomestic sheep. Thepatient is rubbed with this fattymixturesothatthecoalsandashesofthe medicine

fire

may

adhereclosely tothe skin. Thepriest sings at thefire,andafter having rubbed the patient with" coal and ashes sings the

same

songs besideliim. Inother wordsthisprieststands betweenthe patient anddeath.

Hisriteslasted

two

daysandnightsandhis fee

was

one horse,say$50.

The nextphysician

summoned was Kama

bi-ge (bi-geh).

Theory

— Good

medicinesmell

—

the inhalation of fumes from burningherbs. In thesickman's hutthemediciner

makes

asmallmedicinefire.

A

little,hollow

mound

of clayismade,andwithin the hollow three stones areset.

On

these arelaid splintersofpinionand cedar

which

are thenset afire.

When

they have burned to embers the priestshakeshis rattle and sings to theYes of his (the priest's)father. (See

Kuma

further on.)

He

then lays upon the embers five herbs. The patientis thenlaid naked

upon

the sand

—

close to the fire-place

—

and a blanket is spread over the fire-place andpatient,

who

thusliesthere inhaling thefumesoftheherbs,while the medicinersitsbeside

him —

^outsidethe blanket,ofcourse

—

^{shakinghis rattle} and continuing hissong. The dry herbswerealsbruisedfineinthe mediciner's hands,

and

afterbeing

mixed

with waterinabowl were rubbedover theentire bodyof the patient. This treatment is per- formedatsunriseandsunset,andshould last four days, withsongs and dances and other ceremonies at night.

Butinthisinstanceatthecloseoftheseconddayan em- barrassing circumstance occurred

—

^{thepatient'swife}

was

takenill. Thisatonceputa stoptoallfurthertreatment bythis priest. Fee,onehorse,say$50.

After the wife got wellEt-sidi bi-kis (be-ges)

was

sum- moned. Theory

—

Inherent virtue of the winds.

The

mediciner signs to the"Leader"ofthefour winds,viz.:

White

(east),Blue (south),Black (north).Yellow (west).

Before the people emerged fromthelowerworld, these windswere taken

up

thepitat Tjoli-i(Cho-le-he)by the

"Leader" and their directions were assigned

them by

him.

He

caused

them

toblow

upon

the

muddy

surface

which

was still

new

and

damp

until theworld became dryenoughfor habitation.

The

winds expelled theevil influenceofthebadYesandthe

new

world becamebeau- tiful. So itis to this"Leader"that Et-sidi bi-kis sings, asking

him

to bring allthesewindstogether and expel theevilinfluence that threatens thepatient. Thecere- monies last four daysand nights and consistof song- prayers, the exhibition of fetiches, shaking the rattle,

blowingthe whistleand swingingtheTsln-bo-os-ni. This

isthe

same

performance asswinging theThunder

Baho

withtheMokis. Fee,a largehorse,orsay$60.

The next onecalled

was

Hostin bi-kan.

Theory—

Ad- ministering theherbroots,both

raw

andinfusions. These areofthesame

number —

five

—

asthoseusedinthemedi- cinefire,buttheyareentirely different plants. The

raw

rootof the

Datura

meteloides

was

given the patientat sunrise,noon andsunset.

Each

dose

was

somethingless thanhalfan ounceof the recently

dug

root. This

was chewed

andswallowed. Closelyfollowingeachofthese doseshe

was

given a pieceof thestalkofgolden alexan- der,about six inches long .and as thick as the thumb.

Thishe chewed, swallowing thesaliva,but not thefibre.

Between

the songs during the day andnight,infusions were giventhe patienttodrinkin quantitiesnevertoex- ceed a half a pintatonce. These wereseparate infusions from the roots of herbs

known

totheNavajos as

Aze

Klo-hl (laughing medicine or medicine hay,'Arenaria acideata;,

Aze

bi-ni(badtalk,dreadedmedicine), To-jo-zhe- tso (Great Chief of all medicines). These threeherbs werejealouslyguarded, thus Ihave had noopportunity toexamine them. This old fellow's ceremonies lasted onlyadayand anight. Hisfee

was

onehorse,say$50.

The

lastand most potent ofthe priestly mediciners called to complete the cycle of exorcism",

was Kuma.

Perhapsyou

may remember

him.

He

isthe chiefofthe genstowhichthe patient belongs,andlivesabout thirty milessouthwestfromhere.

Theory—

Sweathouse decor-

ated

upon

outsidewithrainbowⁱⁿcolored sands. Sing- ing-house(builtfor this special occasion); sandpictures

—

altars—uponfloor ofthe singing-house. Dances ^of the four,

and

of the twelve participants, etc.

A

series of elaborate ceremoniesvery similar to those

which

Dr.

MatthewsobservedatFort Defiance three years ago and

which

will be described in an elaborate report tothe BureauofEthnology byDr.Matthews andMr. Stevenson.

Kuma's

prayers were ^directedtoHos-djeh-hog-wan(the Killer)andHos-dje-yeltl (theTalker)guardiandeities of TjolI-i (Chi-le-he). But^aLlthese prayers are

more imme-

diatelyaddressedto the Yes

who

dwell in the"Half

-

White-Hotisc," askingtheir mediation, that the "Killer"

might withhold^hishand, that the "Talker"mightwith- hold the

word—

ofdeath. I

am

under the impression that the ceremonies Dr. Matthews observed were ad- dressed to the Yes of the "Hali'-Red-House," but the motiveisverysimilar.

Aproposof these Yes. Isuppose you

know

there is a mythicregioninthe North. ^It extends from

Nadu

to Zenithandhasnohorizon. Itisa landof vertical strata of various colored sandstone,eachstratumreachingfrom thebelowtothe above. Atthe junctionofeach stratifi- cationisthehouseofa

Ye—

^{half in} onestratum, halfin theother.

Kuma's

ceremonieslasted fivedaysandnights. Every morningatsunrise the patient

was

placed in the sweat- house for about twenty

minutes—

that is about ten minutesin each. Nothing of special significance was done during the day, but from sunset until

dawn

the maskersdancedbeforethe singing-hoUse, thepriestssang their prayers,

made

the prescribed sand pictures and placedthe properfetiches

upon

thesepictures. For afee

Kuma

received a finehorse and colt worth at least

$100.

Aside from allthesefees,sheepwerekilled toprovide mutton,andother provisionswere purchasedtofeed the priestsandtheir associates,the dancers; andthe numer- ous gatheringof idleisandspectators that flockedaround

when

any of these religiousceremoniesarein progress.

In these expenses,however,the patientisusuallyassisted by someof his relatives.

'In these ceremonies,withthe alternating days, three weekswent by

—

everyclayanattackofague.

At

theend ofthattime thepatient said he

was

"looking

down

the descendingladder." His friends then covered

him up

ona saddleand brought

him

here muffled

up

ina blanket

—

just likeabagofbones

— and we had him dumped

in the avooI room. This

was

four days ago.

We

had no calomel,so

we

gavehimagenerousdose of blue mass

—

aboutSO grains. Thefollowingmorning

we

administered a liberaldoseof castoroil,and then

we

gave

him

about 30grainsofquinine in four dosesdaily.

Two

days ago hisagueleft

him

and heis

now

almostwell.

This morning he andhis friends returnedhome, and justashe

was

leavinghetold

me

heAvasfeelingsowell he thought by to-morrow he could resume the per- formance of duties,

which

inanIndian's

mind

standfor the

acme

ofphysicaland mentalvigor.

OLD-TIME NATURAL HISTORY.

EditorForest

and

Stream:

Whilereading a quaint oldvolume,

which

Avas pub- lishednearly halfa centurysince, Ifound_{quite a}

number

ofinterestingitemsofthe early natural history of

Long

Island.

The

title isasfollows:

HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND;

CONTAINING An

Account

OF

THE

DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT

;

WITH

OTHER

IMPORTANT AND INTERESTING MATTERS

TO THE PresentTime..

By BENJAMIN

F.

THOMPSON,

Counsellor-at-Laav.

NEW YORK:

1839.

The work

containstheusual preface,

which

isfollowed

by

a general descriptionof

Long

Island,itsgeology,dis- coveryand Indiantribes,and an accountof the Dutch, English and Colonial gOA^ernments.

The

bulk of the work, however,isdeA-oted tothe history of the counties

and

townsof

Long

Island. Theearlyrecords,Mr.

Thomp-

sonstates,areall

made

inthe

Dutch

language.

When

writing of the discovery he quotes from a

"Historyof

New

York," by Joseph

W.

Moulton,asfol- lows: "

When Hudson

firstarrivedwithin the waters of

Sandy

Hook, heobserved

them swarming

with fish,and senthis

men

toobtaina supply. It

may

Avellbe that they landed

upon Coney

Island, in the

town

of Gravesend, whichAvasthe nearestland.

Two

hundred and tAventy- irine years ago, being the 3d of September, 1G09, the chivalric

Hudson

first

saw

the shoresof this island.

On

the4th,itisrelated,hesent his

men

on shore in aboat, Avho,accordingtothe Avordsof his journal,'caught ten great mullet, afootanda halflong,and a rayasgreatas four

men

could haulintothe ship.' Here,he says,they foundthesoilof Avhitesand,anda vast

number

of

plum

treesloadedwithfruit,and

many

of

them

covered with grapevines ofdifferent kinds.

They

saAV, also, a great quantity of snipe and other birds."

The

natives were clothed,hesays,"in the skins of elks,foxes

and

other animals."

"Seaivan A\^ras the

name

of Indian money,of

which

thereAvere

two

kinds:

wompan

(which signifies white) and

mckauhoek

(sncki signifying black).

Wompan,

or theAvhitemoney,

was made

ofthe stem orstock ofthe metauhockor periwinkle; suckauhock,orblack money,

was

manufactured from the inside of the shell of the qaahang,aroundthick shellfishthat buried itself but a littleAvayinthesandand

was

generallyfound lying on

itindeepwater,

and

gatheredbyrakesorbydivingafter it. TheseaivanAvasmanufactured most abundantly on

Long

Island

which

aboundedinshellsand

was

called,for thisreason,Scawan-hacky,or the Island of Shells.

The

1poquanhock ^or

quahang

and the periwinkle were ex-

!trehielyplenty."

Inspeakingofthe IndiansofKings county hesays:

"They

depended,in great measure,

upon

thefleshof the deerandother wildgame, and the greatabundance of fish,clamsandoysterswhich were found on everyshore

and

inevery creekandharbor."

It is also stated"that

when

the English first com-

menced

thesettlement of

Long

Island the Indians an- noyed

them much

bythe multitudeofdogs theykept, whichordinarilywere

young

Avolvesbrought

up

tame, andcontinuingofavery ravenousnature."

Partofthe rentalJames,

Duke

of York, promisedfor himself, hisheirsand assigns,

was

"Yearly, and every year,fortybeaverskins."

Among

the statutes passed

March

1, 1665, by the deputies assembled at

Hempstead was

the following:

"The

valueofan Indiancoat, tobegiA^entoany oneAvho shall bi-ingtheheadofa wolfto

any

constable on

Long

Island,provideditbekilled

up

theisland."

"On

NoA'em- ber2,1717,anact

was

passed for destroying foxes and wildcats

upon Long

Island, they having become both

numerous and

mischievous.

The

reward for killing a wildcat

was

nineshillings,andforafoxfive shillings."

Thecarelessuseof firearms,itseems,isa hereditament which has descendedtous

from

theearlier times. Mr.

Thompson

quotesfrom Rivingtorfs

New

York Gazette, Jan. 16, 1774,as follows

"From

Huntington,on Long- Island,

we

are informed that last Christmas-day, Mr.

EbenezerPiattbeinghuntingdeerwith

some

other_y

oung men

near thatA'illage,theysurrounded a

swamp

where the

game

were,and agreed with eachothernot to enter

any

partofit. Mr. Piatt seeing abuckatsomedistance, rushed forward,and one of hiscompanions, hearinga noise in the bushes,immediatelyfired and lodged five swan-shotinMr.Piatt,three of

which

entered his

arm

and

two

hisbody,

which

render

Ms

lifedespairedof."

The

natives,Avhen selling

what

is

now known

as the

town

of Easthampton, covenanted as follows: "Alsoe

Ave,thesayd Sachems, have covenanted tohave libertie fforourselvestoffishinanyorallthe cricks and ponds, and hunting

upp

and

downe

in the avoocIs, without molestation; theygivingtotheEnglish inhabytants noe just offence,orinjurie to theirgoodsandchattels. Alsoe, theyaretohaveifynnesandtayles ofallsuch whalesas shall be cast upp,to theirproperright,anddesirethey

maybe

friendlydealt with in the otherparte. Alsoe they reservelibertietoffishinconvenient places forshells to

make wampum,

AlsoeIndyns hunting

any

dcare they should chase into the water,andtheEnglish should kill

them,theEnglishshallhavethebody and the

Sachems

the skin.

And

in testymonyof our well performance hereof,aa*ohavesetour'hands,the day andyeareabove written.

Signed,

In presence ofRichard"] Poygratastjck, x Woodhull,

Thomas

Stan-I

Wayandanch,

_x

ton, Robert Bond, andf

Momometou.

_x

JobSayre. _J

Nowedonah,

x

At

a general court held inthe

same

town,

March

7, 16.r

)0, itAvas "Orderedthatany

man may

set gunstokill Avolves,providedtheybe notsetwithinhalfamileofthe toAvn, and also to take

up

the guns by sunrise; and further,thatItshallnot be lawfultosell

any

dogorbitch,

young

or old,to

any

Indian,

upon

penaltyofthirtyshil- lings."

From

Fisher's Island,

which

isapart of the

town

of Southhold,

"An

attemptwas

made

in theyear 1712,to transport apair ofmoosedeertoEngland,asapresentto Queen Anne,

which

faded by the deathofoneandthe otherbreaking itsleg;and

Her

Majesty

was

finally pre- sentedwiththehorns only."

The town

ofBrookhaven seemstohave been anearthly paradiseforsportsmen,andalso tohave possessedapoet toperpetuate

some

ofitscharmsinverse:

"THE GROVES OF

MASTIC.

Farinasunny, coolretreat,

From

follyand fromnoiseremote, Ishunthe scorchingnoondayheat,

Contentedin

my

peacefulcot;

Thro'townsandgladesIoftenstray, Ofturnsomewhatmonastic,

And

spend thesolitaryday Amongstthe grovesatMastic.

Dame

Nature,ina kindermood,

When

thingswerefirstcreated, Decreedthisspotnear ocean'sflood.

An

Edenwhencompleted;

Hereallthe luxuriesoflife,

Shespreadswithhandallplastic, Beyondthereachofnoiseandstrife.

Among

thegrovesatMastic.

When

springherannualvisitpays, Solputsa brighter faceon,

And

Zephyrfillsour creeksandhays, AVith brantandgeeseinseason;

Here,onSmith's Point,wetakeourstand,

When

freefromtoilsgymnastic, WhereDeath andleadgohandinhand,

Among

the fowlatMastic.

Sometimesthetim'rous troutAvewait Alongthe streamlet's border, Withwell-dissembledflyorbait,

And

tackleingoodorder.

Orcatch thehuge enormousbass,

Behiscoursee'erso drastic, Whilesittingontheverdantgrass,

Clcsebythe grovesatMastic.

Thegrouse,thepheasantandthequail, In turnwetakebychanges, Or huntthebuck withflippanttail.

Asthrough thewoodhe ranges;

Thisstringsournerves!oh,pleasanttoil,

We

wantnoepispastic,

Nordoctor,withhiscastoroil,

Among

the groves atMastic."

The

deerhoundersof thepresent dayareonly follow- ing thebad exampleset

them

bythe early huntersof the toAvnofIslip,of

whom

it is related,

"The

extensive for- ests

which

border

upon

this

pond

(Ronkonkoma) are stockedwith herdsof deer,who,

when

hardpressed

by

thesportsmanandhisdogs,often,asalast resort,betake themselves to thewaterin the hope of escape;butthis resourceavails

them

not;boats areprocuredandthe poor