Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/187

 manner of curing the Jick.

In the Summer-feafon of the year 1746, I chanced to fee the Indians playing at a houfe of the former MifTifippi-Nachee, on one of their old facred mufical inftruments. It pretty much refembled the Negroe-Banger in fhape, but far exceeded it in dimenfions ; for it was about five feet long, and a foot wide on the head-part of the board, with eight firings made out of the fmews of a large buffalo. But they were fo unfkilful in acting the part of the Lyrick, that the Loache, or prophet who held the inftru- ment between his feet, and along fide of his chin, took one end of the bow, whilft a lufty fellow held the other j by fweating labour they fcraped out fuch harfh jarring founds, as might have been reafonably expected by a foft ear, to have been fufficient to drive out the devil if he lay any where hid in the houfe. When I afterward afked him the name, and the reafon of fuch a ftrange method of diverfion, he told me the dance was called Keetla IJbio Hoollo, " a dance to, or before, the great holy one "' that it kept off evil fpirits, witches, and wizards, from the red people ; and enabled them to ordain elderly men to officiate in holy things, as the exigency of the times required.

He who danced to it, kept his place and pofture, in a very exact man ner, without the leaft perceivable variation : yet by the prodigious working of his mufcles and nerves, he in about half an hour, foamed in a very extraordinary manner, and difcontinued it proportionally, till he recovered himfelf. This furprifmg cuflom I have mentioned here, becaufe it was ufual among the Hebrews, for their prophets to become furious, and as it were befide themfelves, when they were about to prophefy. Thus with regard to Saul, it feems that he became furious, and tortured his body by violent geftures : and when Elima fent one of the children of the pro phets to anoint Jehu, one laid to him, wherefore cometh this mad fel low ? The Chaldee paraphraft, on i Sam. xviii. 10. concerning Saul's prophefy ing, paraphrafes it, csepit furire, " he began to grow mad, &c."

When the Eaft-Indian Fakirs are giving out their pretended prophe cies, they chufe drums and trumpets, that by fuch confuted ftriking founds,

own perfuafion ; and the oil alone is ufed as a viaticum, on account of its lubricous quality, to make them flippery, and thereby prevent the devil from laying hold,- and pulling them down when they afcend upward. They reckon that obfervance a moft religious duty, and an infallible prefervative againft the legions of evil fpirits who watch in the aerial- regions 3 and alfo necellary to gain celeftial admiflion for believers.

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