| amongst whom he had dwelt for nearly two years. | | | | He, on several occasions arranged, in the kindest manner, that I | | should meet those who were interested in the native races. Upon | | one of these occasions I met Mr. E. G. Squier, whose original | | surveys of the ancient earthworks in Ohio were published by the | | Smithsonian Institution. | | | | The introductions given to me by Mr. Parkman to the distinguished | | archæologists, Mr. Lewis Morgan and Professor Daniel Wilson, were | | also most useful. | | | | [47] In the prison at Omaha I saw three Pawnees named Blue-Hawk, | | Yellow-Son and Tall-Wolf, who had endeavoured to commit suicide in | | order to avoid being hanged. One of them, I think it was Blue-Hawk | | (Sha-to-ko), had managed to conceal a long piece of hard wood, | | one end of which he had rubbed down to a sharp point. He was | | employed in pushing this through his body, between the ribs, when | | he was observed by the warder and prevented from completing his | | purpose. Another prisoner had removed a brick from the floor and | | was trying to fracture his skull with it. All of them had torn | | away portions of their skin and cut themselves in many places with | | small fragments of glass which they had obtained secretly. The | | warder told me that he had taken every precaution to stop these | | desperate attempts of the Indians to destroy themselves. They | | seemed to be able to bear these self inflicted wounds without | | showing signs of distress. | | | | [48] The supernatural powers attributed to the “medicine men” are | | not worthy of attention, except so far as they illustrate the | | credulity of Indians, and show the influence of certain methods of | | imposture upon them. Their tricks are usually of a kind which are | | perfectly within the capacity of an ordinary juggler. | | | | Their pretension of possessing the power of making rain is however | | a subject of a different nature. | | | | This particular act is chiefly remarkable because there is no form | | of imposture which can be so readily detected. Nevertheless the | | Indian tribes throughout the western parts of North America | | usually have “Rain-makers,” in whose powers they appear to have |