Here! I am again digressing, which is everlastingly the case with me when not in the _humor_ of scribbling. I should have mentioned first (because as you may see, I have begin _this_ story in the _middle_ instead at either of the two ends) that when they want to dream of these things, as well as of any other particular thing, they must fast, & lay down to sleep, keeping their minds as free as possible from any other thoughts whatever, & wholly bent & employed on that particular one alone. I also should have observed in the proper place that the door the votary is introduced is exactly in the middle of these rivers, there being 20 on each side of the door. The use, intent, &c. &c. of the other 5 doors, I never thought to enquire, & must leave you to guess as well as myself 'till such times as I can get this matter explained. Their songs are delivered in _Notes_, impressed or drawn on bark, in the form of hierlographics, & thus taught, & being hierlographics (& not very dissimilar to those anciently used by the Egyptians; nay indeed, I have reason to think from what I have seen of both, that any _Learned_ man being perfectly acquainted with the one could trace a great deal in the other; but this opinion I hazard from my own ignorance) no two are alike, it therefore requires (24) him to learn them; that is any _one_ of them: for those notes are not like ours, _marked_ with regular bars &c. so that one Gamut serves for all; but with them, each one may be said to be itself a _Gamut_. However, I have reason to think that they are regular & uniform; for many years ago, when I was still scarcely more than a boy, I remember throwing away the contents of one these mede- cine bags in which there were several strips of Bark covered with these Notes-- --an indian happened to be by--he took one up & with the Point of his knife placing it on one of these began to sing, moving the knife regularly as children do when they begin to learn their a, b, c.--This surprised me a little at the time, for the indian was a stranger & had but lately arrived from his own lands that were several hundred miles off.-- After laughing at, & ridiculing, him, as is the custom with us, I asked how he could make them out? "The same said he, as you do to _reckon_ (i.e. read) your _papers_ "See this one is (meant for) the _Thunder_; that, the Earth, &c. &c.; but I only "know a few of these songs:--the possesser of this bag knew a great deal--he "was a great Medecine man, i.e. Doctor" &c. As far as I can learn, every different root, herb, plant, mineral, Spirit (or whatever you may please to term this latter) have each their respective songs; & which they must sing, were his voice like that of a choked Pig, when he employs them for one of themselves, or learns them to another. When they sing, those of their _familiars_ who instructed this Song, whether to the one who sings, as having learnt it from himself (i.e Familiar) or having been