the main power. One fine evening when Tyope
presented himself in the grotto occupied by his wife, she refused to
recognize him any longer. He protested, he stormed, he menaced her; it
was of no avail. Shotaye told him to go, and he left. Henceforth the two
were mortal enemies. The woman said little; but he was bent upon her
destruction by every possible means. She kept on the defensive, avoided
all conflicts, and was very careful not to give any cause for a direct
accusation of sorcery. She cured people incidentally, never asking any
compensation for it. She lived alone, and thus earned enough to be
independent of her own clan if need be.

This woman called on Say occasionally, but only between the periods of
the attacks of fever. On such visits she would assist the patient, do
the housework, and arrange the hides or covers for her. Say harboured a
wish to consult her about her disease; but Shotaye studiously avoided
any opportunity for confidential talk. One day, however, when the two
were alone in the kitchen, and the invalid felt somewhat relieved, she
opened her heart to her visitor. Shotaye listened very attentively, and
when Say had concluded, instead of asking for further details, she
abruptly asked whether Say had no suspicion of being bewitched.

If such a question were put to us, we should doubt the sanity of the
questioner. Not so the Indian. Say felt like one from whose eyes thick
scales are suddenly removed. Indeed, she thought this was the cause of
her evil, this alone could explain the tenacity of the disease, its
mysterious intermittence. She told her interlocutor that she must be
right, or else why these regular returns and always during the season of
rain? Shotaye listened and listened; every word she heard was in
confirmation of her own thoughts. Say must be under the influence of
some evil charm, and unless counteracted by magic, it was clear to her
that the poor woman must succumb to its workings.

Whatever there is in nature which the Indian cannot grasp at once, he
attributes to mysterious supernatural agencies. He believes that nature
is pervaded by spiritual essence individualized into an infinite number
of distinct powers. Everything in nature has a soul according to him,
and it is that soul which causes it to move or to act upon its
surroundings in general. Thus the medical properties of animals, of
plants, or minerals, are due to spiritual manifestations. His medical
art therefore does not