The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-02-05

finds some means to satisfy this universal
craving, and as the nervous European
resorts to exhilarating or maddening
liquors, so the contemplative Monaghan
has his opium, the fiery Arab his hashish
and the nomad savage Of the southwest
his mescal. While opium and hashish
are used by their votaries simply as in
toxicants the mescal eating ceremony Is
a solemn religious rite, seldom observed
by white man, but which it has been
the writer's fortune to witness.
Mescal is the name given to several
species of cactus growing in the arid
regions of northern Mexico, all of which
possess intoxicating or narcotic proper
ties. The particular variety eaten by
the southwestern tribes Is the disk or
torus of a species of Manillaria, look
ing, when dried, very much like the
fiattened and shriveled root of the In
dian turnip, with tuft Of white cot
tony down in the center. 1t has BIT
ter taste and from four to twelve are
necessary TO produce the effect, which
is not followed by any injurious reaction
whatever. In fact almost every species
of cactus has food or medicinal value,
and the mescal is reverenced by these
tribes not only as sacred narcotic but
as health bringing panacea for all bod
lily ills.
Having been studying the ghost dance
all winter among these tribes, we had
become pretty well acquainted, when
one afternoon young kiowa came to
tell me in a guarded manner that his
people intended to eat mescal that night
at camp about ten miles up the Ouach-
tia and would probably be willing to
have me present. Accordingly started
about dark, in company with a Co
manche and a Mexican who had been
captured when child and brought up
by the Kiowas.
At last we reached the camp in a strip
of timber close by the river. The white
tepees were scattered about among the
trees, with the freight shining out so
brightly through the thin canvas that
we could count the shadows of the in
mates as they sat around the fire within.
Going up to tepee from which proceeded
familiar voices my Mexican lifted the
door flap and, putting his head inside,
explained that his friend who had come
so far to visit them was outside and de-
sired to witness the ceremony. After
some parleying he told US that it was all
right, and raising the flap we stepped
inside and were invited to sit down.
In short time Kiowa came to an
nounce that the ceremony was about to
begin in the sacred lodge, and warned
us that before entering we must remove
our hats, and, Furthermore, that we
must not look at any of the participants
while they were actually eating the
mescal. We found the Indians sitting
fat upon some dried weed stalks strewn
in circle close around the sides. There
were about thirty Kiowas, Comanches,
Apaches, the Mexican and myself. The
door faced the east, the ground was
clearly swept and in the center was a
frehole, with crescent shaped mound
of earth half encircling it on the farther
side and sloping down to the floor at
each end. st the right of the doorway
sat the master of ceremonies, with pile
of frewood at his side. Opposite him,
beyond the crescent mound, sat young
man whose duty it was to distribute the
mescal. All sat silently looking intently
into the fire as we took our places in the
circle.
1t was about 10 o'clock when the old
man placed fresh pile of wood on the
fire, carefully piling up the sticks in cob
house fashion, with the ends pointing
toward the doorway, and tanning it