I shall not here enter upon these reflections further, suffice the above for they are too long, too frequent. And besides, I wish to sacrifice the little paper I have remaining to such other things as I have, and which I think may not be quite uninteresting to you. Had there been but their speeches and the ceremonies, I should not perhaps have thought so deeply. But their cries of "He! He!" and "Ha! Ha!" [were] so repeated and vociferous, that I was struck with a certain horror and thought that half of the devils in hell had entered the throats of these men to give me an idea of their pandemonium below. Good God! What a miserable reflection! But how much moreso the occasion leading to it!
[Roots and Medicines]
Notwithstanding, they sometimes Dream of roots (medicines). There is a certain place, according to their notions, consecrated to Esculapius (and perhaps Apollo also, conjointly). It is depicted as a most heavenly abode, so delightful.
[The Abode of the Medicine Spirit]
He (Esculapius) resides in a mountain, in the bowels of which is his house. It has six doors, but so mysteriously constructed that no soul whatever besides himself and his inmates, of whom there are a great number (of every nation and language), can open them.
The lock apparently is in the form of a screw, or spiral, and is opened on the inside, but only to such as Esculapius deems worthy of admission. These doors open to different quarters, the house being immensely large and, as above mentioned, in the bowels of ye mountain.
In this residence is of every medicine useful in life such as do not vegetate— minerals [and] fossils. These are shown to the votary. He is instructed in their use, the manner of preparing and mixing them, the ceremonies, songs and sacrifices to be performed in their application, taking of them up, or in instructing others, because it is not every Indian that is favored with these dreams.
The mountain is of a moderate size, and there issue from it forty rivers which fall into a lake not far from the base and situated in a beautiful plain. This lake is shallow and has some handsome sandy shoals, and in the borders of it (in the water) grow beautiful rushes. The water in every one of these rivers is of a different color, no two being alike; one is black, another white, red, green, blue, ash-color. In the latter grow herbs and plants of a vast variety, as also their nature.
[Teaching the Medicines to the Votary]
In the sides of the mountain are of every herb and plant that grows in any part of the world whatever. When any one of them (of the Indians I mean) is thus favored, he appears first at these rivers when the head or chief of the mountain comes out. [He] [accosts] [the Indian] in a friendly manner. And after some conversation, he is introduced into the interior of the house where he is astonished to find people of every nation and language in the earth. But if I can form a right opinion, there are but few of each language.