, 1842-03-12

pronounced the words, "te-ho-pe-nee wash-ee!''
(sreat medicine white man) and walked off.
AferI had finished the portraits of the two
chiefs, they returned to their wigwam's, and de-
hberately seated themselves by their respective
fire-sides, and silently smoked a pipe or two,
(according to the universal CUSTOM they gradu-
ally began to tell what had taken place, and at
length crowds of gaping listeners, with mouths
wide open, thronged their lodges; and a throng
of women and girls were about my house, and
through every crack and crevice l could see their
glistening eyes, which were piercing my hut in a
hundred places, from a natural and restless pro-
pensity, curiosity to see what was going on W thin.
An hour or more passed in this way, and the
soft and silken throng continually increased, I'M
iii some hundreds of them were chung and piled
about my wigwam like a swarm of bees hanging
on the front side of their hive.
During this time, not a man made his appear
ance about the premises; after a while, however,
they could be seen folded in their robes gradual
ly siding up toward the lodge, with a silly look
uPoii thei idces, WHICH coIleSseQ at once tnaI
curiosity was leading them reluctantly where
their pride checked and forbade them to 20. The
rush soon after became general and the chiefs
and medicine-men took possession of my room,
placing soldiers (braves with spears in their
hands, at the door admitting no one but such
as were allowed by the chiefs to come in.
Mr.. Kipp (the agent of the Fur Company,
who has lived here eight years, and to whom, for
his politeness and hospitality, l am much indebt-
ed at this time took his seat with the chiefs and
speaking their language fluently, he explained to
them my views and the objects for which I was
painting these portraits, and also expounded to
them the manner in which they were made at
which they all seemed very much pleased. The
necessity at this time Of exposing the portraits
to the view of the crowds who were assembled
around the house, became imperative, and they
were held up together over the door. so that the
whole village had a chance to see and recognise
their chiefs.
The effect upon so mixed a multitude, who as yet
had no way for accounting for them, was novel,
and really laughable. The likenesses were in
stantly recognised, and many of the gaping multi
tude commenced yelping some were stamping
off in the Earring dance, others were singing,
and others again were crying hundreds covered
their mouths with their hands and were mute !;
others indignant, drove their spears frightfully
into the ground and some threw a Redeemed ar
row at the sun, and went home to their wig
vans.
The pictures seen, the next curiosity was TO
see the man that made them, and | was called
forth.
The eager curiosity and expression of aston
ishment with which they gazed upon me, plainly
showed that they looked upon me as some
strange and accountable being. They pronounc-
ed me the greatest medicine man in the world
for they said I had made hrng beings they
said they could see their chiefs alive in two pla-
ces those that l had were a little %alire; they
could see their eyes move, could see them smile
and laugh, and that if they could laugh they could
certainly speak if they should try, and they
must therefore have some life in them.
The squaws generally agreed that they had
discovered life enough in them to render my
medicine too great for the Mandans, saying that
such an operation could not be performed without
taking away from the original something of its ex-
istence, which | put in the picture and they
could see it move, could see it stir.
This curtailing of mortal existence for the pur-
pose of i%nstilling life into the secondary one,
they decided to bel useless and destructive ope-
ration, ond one that was calculated 10 do great
mischief in their happy community; and they
commenced a nournful and doleful chant against
me, crying and weeping bitterly through the vii
lage, proclaiming me a most dangerous man one
who could make living persons by looking at
them and at the same time could, as a matter
of course, destroy life in the same way ifI chose.
That my medicine was dangerous to their lives,
and that | must leave the village Immediately
That bad luck would happen to those whom l
had painted that l was to take part of the exist
ence of those whom l painted and carry it home
with me among the white people and that when
they died they would never sleep quiet in their
graves