Part 2

[Typescript]

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Page 1st
The following few Stories or Tales will give a better notion or Idea of the religion of these
People than every other description I am able to pen, & as their history is read with interest, I am
persuaded these few Pages will be found equally deserving attention. I give them the same as I
received them & leave every one to make his own remarks & to draw his own conclusions.
My Interpretor, a young half breed, passed the winter of -'19-'20 with the Indians &
gives this account. One day shortly before Christmass he was out with an
elderly man, a chief of this place, a hunting. Suddenly he stopped as to listen, apparent-
ly with great eagerness & anxiety, upon which after allowing a sufficient time the
Int. asked what was the matter? "Listen & you'll hear" "I have listened, says the Intr. but hear no-
"thing & it is surprising that you who are deaf should hear & I not"—"Ah! a white man is thy
"father & thou are just as skeptical: doubting & ridiculing every thing we say or do 'till
"when it is then too late—then ye lament, but in vain ...." After this the Indian became much
down-cast & very thoughtful for several days; & as if to increase his anxiety or rather to to corroborate
the husbands assertions, his wife said that one day she also heard, tho' the other women that were
with her heard nothing, & an altercation ensued. His uneasyness increasing too much he was
forced to have recourse to their only alternative in such cases, i.e. une Jonglerie as the french
term it, that is conjuring. One of their party, another half-breed, abandoned many years since
by his Father & leading an indian life, was applied to: he is reputed a true man, i.e. never lies.
Out of respect to the other he was induced to consent, but much against his will; "for I am
"much afraid that some of these times they will carry me off." He was prepared, & entered with
his rattler, shortly after which the box & the rattler began to move in the usual brisk &
violent manner. Many entered, & one asked "what was wanted that they had been called
"upon." The indian from the outside of the frame (for only the conjuror alone &
enters) inquired "if there was not some evil spirit near from whom he had much
"every thing to dread?" —"No, replied the same voice, all is quiet, you trouble yourself
"with vain phantoms" "What then is the meaning, asked again the Indian, of the those sud-
"den flashes of light I sometimes see in the night?"—"What! rejoined another voice from within,
"hast thou attained unto this age & never yet observed this;" & then laughing, continued, "it is al-
"ways the case during this moon (December) & if you doubt me, for the future observe
"attentively & you will find it to be the case".—This satisfied him for the time, he became
cheerful & assumed his wonted ways. But not for a long time—he soon relapsed, & after
some days applied again to the conjurer. When he had entered his box or frame—a
number again entered & one of them enquired why they were called for? The conjuror
said-. "What? says he,* "again! Thou art very skeptical—dost thou not believe? now
thou art fond of, thou wantest to be haunted, well thou shalt have thy desire." At these
* i.e. the Spirit

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these dreadful words, which were uttered in an angry & reproving manner, every soul was struck
with terror; but as if to give some consolation assured him "that that spirit had but just
left his home, & coming on very slowly would not be up with them 'till such a time,
a little prior to which they were ordered to conjure again, when they would be told what to
do. This was no pleasant information to the conjuror who never undertook this job
but with the greatest reluctance, nay indeed even sometimes horor: However, he neither, poor creature had no alternative. At the
time appointed he entered again, every thing being prepared. After the preliminary de-
mands or questions &c. "yes replies one of the spirits, that which thou dreadest is near, &
"is drawing on apace" ... "How shall we do? what shall we do?" exclaimed the indian—
At last one of them, who goes by the name of the Bull or Buffaloe (thru the conjuror, for he
alone could understand him his voice being hoarse & rough, his uttering thick & inarticulate)
"asked the indian if he remembered of a dream he made whilst yet a young man?." "Yes"
"replies the indian—I remember perfectly,—I dreamed I saw one just like yourself,
"who told me that when advanced in life I should be much troubled one winter, but
"by a certain sacrifice & a sweating bout I should be releived; but I have not the means
"here,—I have no stones"—"you are encamped upon them rejoined the spirit & at the
"door of your tent are some" "yes, but says the indian the dogs have watered them,
"& they are otherwise soiled"—"Fool, put them in the fire, will not the fire heat,
"& make them change color, & purify them? Do this, fail not & be not uneasy—
"we shall go four of us (spirits) & amuse him upon the road, & endeavour to
"drive him back." At this the Interpretor burst out laughing & exclaimed "sacré bande de
Betes & do you beleive all that d__d nonsense?" "You doubt too says a voice addres-
"sing him (the In.) from the inside; go out of the tent & listen, you'll see if we"lie"—he did indeed go out to some distance & after awhile heard as a distant
hollow noise, which increased 'till it became considerably more distinct & then
vanished as a great gust of wind, tho' the night was mild, calm, clear & beauti-
fully serene—it even startled the dogs. "Mahn! (an indian term or exclamation signifying haste)
"said the spirits from within, they have turned him off the road, as soon as the noise was
"heard, but he will not turn back, or go home: he is sent after you by another indian
'who conjured him up from out the Deep (i.e the bottom of some flood) but be not
"too uneasy, if these four will not do, there are yet a vast many of us, so that between
"us all we shall drive him back: we will perplex & bewilder him: surround, tor-
"ment & tease him on every side: but he is of a monstrous size, ferocious & withal
"enraged against you:—The task is mighty difficult. Observe! See how beautifully
"serene the night is—if we succeed, the sky will change all of a sudden, & there
"will fall a very smart shower of snow attended with a terrible gust of wind. This

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