There is a tribe of Athabasca that go by the name of Beaver Indians. From the tenets of their religion, I am told that, when laying under any malediction, bewichisms, or conceive themselves so, they make a vow that the first animal they shall kill they will do so. They do not fail, but immediately proceed in quest of another which, by this diabolical action, they think they will soon find and kill. They do not touch the animal afterwards, as those beasts among the Crees and Sauteux do, but leave it lay as a sacrifice. They consider it as a duty imposed upon them. But the others do it from mere beastiality. "Such a one did so—brought home part of the meat, and we all of us eat it! Oh! the dog!" said an Indian not long ago to me.
[Fragments]
Lest I may not soon have another opportunity of writing on these subjects to you, I shall add a few more fragments.
[The Great Doctor]
An Indian here, passing for a great doctor, was applied to (and is still) by many to attend upon them.
Several of these he retrieved from death. One of his dreamed, I believe the North, was not pleased and told the doctor never to administer his medicines to those he had doomed to death. The doctor replied it was hard and uncharitable seeing he could prolong their days a little.
"Well! For every one that thou dost deprive me of, I shall take one of thy children." And the doctor lost eight or nine. (I cannot now remember well). But he is now grown more cautious.
But this Doctor is himself a beast.
Being unable to stand from sickness, he told two of his wives, "Take ye me one under each arm to my [sweet-heart]. I feel myself dying and don't chuse thus to go." And he actually did. Remember I am told this, but I have reasons to believe it.
He is an incestuous beast. Otherwise, I find him a good Indian and, what is most strange, sensible beyond many of his equals.