The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-04-10
CURED BY WHIPPING.

Radical and Encctual Indian Remedy for
Fever and AEue-
After a week or ten days the fever
with which l had been afflicted abated
somewhat saws n writer in Forest aud
Stream, and Peter, taking my double
barreled rifle by way of armament and
half a dozen hard biscuit by way OF
grub, gave notice of two days absence,
and, buckling his blanket about him,
went off up the trail.
Late in the evening of the second day,
while was lying on the bearskin with
swimming brain and fevered brow, he
came back but not alone. Two strong.
athletic squaws, each tOting large
pack. were his companions. He intro
duced them as old Blackbird squaw
and her gal; pooty young squaw-great
medicine
The elder of the two was about "a
tough. leathery-lool<ing specimen OF
aboriginal ugliness "a / have ever
fallen in with. and making due allow
ance for difference in age the daughter
was the perfect model of her. They
both east their loads unceremoniously
aside. and the elder proceeded ut once
to business. Watching me closely as
she did so. she rolled a large handful of
leaves in her hand until they were par
TALLY pulverized. then passed them over
to the younger squaw, who soon made
a pint of very bitter tea from them
| which / was told to drink. l managed
to gulp it down. hot and bitter a. II
was, and the old squaw then seized me
| without ceremony, packed me snugly in
bearskin and blankets, after which she
and her daughter, wrapping their own
| blankets about them, lay down on
| either side of me, crowding me in a
manner more close than pleasant.
My leathery bellies answered to help
| get up n copious .perspiration, which
! was Just what they intended; and when
l awoke from the first sound, refresh
| ing sleep l had enjoyed for weeks it
was with a cool, clear head and limbs
| free from pain.
| With the rise of the sun the confound-
ed ague began to threaten me; and Mrs.
| Blackbird. with the help of her interest
| ing daughter. proceeded to take meas
ures for expelling it in a manner quite
as novel and original as her treatment
| Of fever. First. she undid bundle of
dirty-blue cloth. and took therefrom sew
1 eral bundles of neatly bound. minute
| twigs. | had heard some hard stories
! of ''whippin' out the ager,' and smelled
| n pretty extensive mice Immediately:
but. on the whole, concluded To go
| through. so | suffered them To divest
| me of my clothing and seize me firmly
| by the wrists: and ! made no objection
even when Mrs. Black bird began to ap-
| ply the switches gently To the bare skin.
Gradually the blows increased in
| rapidity and severity; old Peter, who
had stood by as spectator 1t first,
| stepped forward and seized a wrist
firmly in each hand Sd suddenly that
had no time To object. and the whipping
Immediately became energetic and gen
| eral Each of the squawS. with a
| switch in each hand. Wed with the
other in rapidity of hitting; and a the
sluggish, torpid blood strove u dash
with answering speed through the
tingling veins the pain became unen-
durable. ! had resolved To bear all that
| was asked of me in hopes of radical
| cure. hut the torture was too severe:
| and I ordered them to desist, trying at
| the same time to wrench myself loose
| from Peter. They only laughed, and
| laid on the harder.
became mad with pain, and / went
1
furiously at old Feter, and giving the
leathery females ungallant kicks about
the ribs and abdomen-a proceeding
that made them laugh all the more, and
brought down the switches with in.
creased vigor. | entreated and cursed
by turns, tried bribery and fiattery
begged for resting spell, and threat
ened death To the party of conspiratOr'
Immediately l got loose, but all in vain
They tioggcd me for a time that seemed
an age, and only let me off when | wa.
too exhausted to stand alone. Then
was again cnveloped in skins anC
blankets, when. strange a. it may seem
l almost Immediately fell into "A deeI
slumber. from which / did not awak,
until evening. When | did awake i
was with 4 general sense of soreness
all over the outer man. but where wa!
the ague? Gone. Completely cured. a
well as the fever.