Arizona republican., 1892-03-05

III lllt llluSlNC glories and dreamy imaginings of intoxi- cation. In every part of the world man finds some means to satisfy this universal craving, and as the nervous European resorts to exhilarating or maddening liquors, so the contemplative Mongolian 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 solemn religious rite, seldom observed by a 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 species of Mainillaria, look ing, when dried, very much like the fattened and shriveled root of the h. dian turnip. with a tuft of white cot tony down in the center. It 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 fly 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 guarded manner that his people intended to eat mescal that night at camp about ten miles up the Ouach- ita and would probably be willing to have me present. Accordingly started about dark, in company with 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 firelight 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 flat 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 cleanly swept and in the conter 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. At the rightof the doorway sat the master of ceremonies, with a pile of firewood at his side. Opposite him, beyond the crescent mound, sat a 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
 It 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 flaming it