salvation, as without this timely addition of food, I should
certainly have perished.

During this season of hardship, many died of starvation. When a death
occurred, the family of the deceased would yield themselves up to the
most heart-rending grief. Their lamentations would succeed in attracting
a crowd of sympathizing mourners who would join the family, and by
indulging in yells, groans, and screeches, convert the whole scene into
the most hideous travesty, which did violence to all those feelings of
awe and solemnity, that are experienced by viewing the last sad rites of
Christian burial.

When an Indian dies, his body is painted, oiled, and dressed in its best
attire, a fresh buffalo skin (if it is to be had), and failing this, a
blanket is wound tightly around the body, and bound with thongs, then
other blankets are soaked in water until they become very soft and
elastic, when they also are wound around the body with great care and
exactness, so as to exclude the air. This done, the dead warrior's arms
are placed by his side and a liberal supply of food (when the article is
plenty); placed on the scaffold.

These scaffolds are constructed by placing three upright posts in the
ground in the shape of a parallelogram, and connecting them by lateral
bars. Over these bars are placed a number of willow rods, on which the
body rests, in such a position that the feet will be towards the rising
sun. The scaffolds are placed high enough to be out of the reach of dogs
and wolves, yet not so high as to be inaccessible to the family, some
portion of whom visit it daily, bringing food and water, which they
place near the head of the corpse. The spirit is supposed to be in need
of this sustenance on his journey to the happy hunting grounds. Once
there, his spear, bow, and arrows will enable him to kill game in
plenty.

When the scaffolds decay and fall, the relatives collect the bones and
bury them. The skull, which by this time has become perfectly bleached
and purified, is taken and placed among a number of others which form a
circle, the faces turned inward and facing a large shaft, around which
is heaped a quantity of buffalo skulls. In this position they are
preserved for years, the objects of religious veneration. The scaffolds
of the chiefs are distinguished from the others by pieces of red or blue
cloth which are thrown over the bodies.

A party had been dispatched in search of food, and were expected back
hourly.