n one night we
camped on the shore of a lake-like river. While my men were busily
employed in gathering wood and cooking the supper, I wandered off and
ascended to the top of a well wooded hill which I saw in the distance.
Very great indeed was my surprise, when I reached the top, to find
myself in the presence of the most startling evidences of a degraded
paganism.

The hill had once been densely covered with trees, but about every third
one had been cut down, and the stumps, which had been left from four to
ten feet high, had been carved into rude representations of the human
form. Scattered around were the dog-ovens, which were nothing but holes
dug in the ground and lined with stones, in which at certain seasons, as
part of their religious ceremonies, some of their favourite dogs--white
ones were always preferred--were roasted, and then devoured by the
excited crowd. Here and there were the tents of the old conjurers and
medicine men, who, combining some knowledge of disease and medicine with
a great deal of superstitious abominations, held despotic sway over the
people. The power of these old conjurers over the deluded Indians was
very great. They were generally lazy old fellows, but succeeded
nevertheless in getting the best that was going, as they held other
Indians in such terror of their power, that gifts in the shape of fish
and game were constantly flowing in upon them. They have the secret art
among themselves of concocting some poisons so deadly that a little put
in the food of a person who has excited their displeasure will cause
death almost as soon as a dose of strychnine. They have other poisons
which, while not immediately causing death to the unfortunate victims,
yet so affect and disfigure them that, until death releases them, their
sufferings are intense and their appearance frightful.

Here on this hill top were all these sad evidences of the degraded
condition of the people. I wandered around and examined the idols, most
of which had in front of them, and in some instances on their flat
heads, offerings of tobacco, food, red cotton, and other things. My
heart was sad at these evidences of such degrading idolatry, and I was
deeply impressed with my need of wisdom and aid from on high, so that
when I met the people who here worshipped these idols I might so preach
Christ and Him crucified that they would be constrained to accept Him as
their all-sufficient Saviour.

While there I lingere