“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” muttered Billie.
“I’m not going to try and describe the old fakir, because I never could do him justice,” Donald went on. “Having seen one like him I could picture the Witch Doctor, after both Si Ketcham at the ranch, and Corse Tibbals at the mine had painted a word picture of him. Above all things you’ve got to snap him off, if you want a jim-dandy card for your exhibit, to stun the boys at home.”
“Yes, sure I will, Donald. Ain’t I carrying ten rolls of films in my pack right now, just for that same purpose?” Billie assured him.
“What I wanted to tell you most about, though, Billie, was something that’s sort of excited my curiosity more’n a little.”
“Oh! that sounds kind of interesting to be sure, Donald; so please keep right on, and let’s hear all about it,” the other pleaded.
“It seems,” began the prairie boy, “that this old fellow has surrounded himself with a regular halo of the deepest mystery ever. All of his stripe like to make out that they’re in direct communication with the Great Spirit or Manitou of the red man, you know; and this Witch Doctor has got the rest of the bunch beat to a frazzle, as Teddy would say.”
“How so?” asked Adrian, as the narrator paused, possibly on purpose to let his strange words sink in, and arouse further curiosity on the part of his hearers.
“It’s just this way, as near as I could make out,” Donald presently continued. “Every little while the old medicine man disappears from the sight of his people, and always after conducting a series of cracker-jack ceremonies. They say he’s gone into the mountain to talk with Manitou; and from time to time queer sounds are heard that set the Indians almost wild—strains of sweet music come
out of cracks in the rocks, and then a strange voice like the rumbling of thunder follows. And at such times every Zuni will be sure to flatten himself, face downward, on the ground, listening with all his might, but not daring to look, for fear he might see too much, and be struck blind; because that’s what the Witch Doctor has warned them might happen if they got too curious.”
Billie was listening with open mouth, and eyes that were round with wonder.