cure an abundant supply of
food.

During the greater part of the year the hunters can find the buffaloes
within twenty miles of the village, and entirely within their own
territory; but in some seasons the young men range as far about the
country as they can safely venture on account of their enemies, without
finding meat. When this intelligence is brought back to the village, the
chiefs, medicine men and counselors sit in solemn council until they
have decided upon the most practicable expedient for overcoming the
difficulty, and they rarely fail to decide upon the old and only
expedient, which has never failed. The chief issues his orders to the
runners or criers, who quickly proclaim it throughout the village, and
in a few moments all are assembled to take part in the dance, which at
once begins. The place where this strange performance is carried on is
the public area in the center of the village, directly in front of the
temple.

About ten or fifteen Indians join in the dance at a time, each with the
skin of the buffalo head, with the horns on, placed on his head, and
armed with his lance or bow, with which he is accustomed to kill these
animals. I have said that this dance always has the desired effect of
making "buffalo come." It never fails, from the simple reason that when
it is once begun it cannot be stopped, but is kept up incessantly night
and day until the welcome herds are descried by the watchful look-outs.
Drums are beaten and rattles shaken, songs and yells are continually
shouted, and lookers on stand ready, with masks on their heads and
weapons in their hands, to take the place of each dancer who becomes
fatigued and falls out of the ring.

A chain of look-outs is established connecting the hills surrounding the
village with those to the eastward, and the moment buffaloes are
discovered by the distant watchers, they speedily pass the signal from
one to anther until it reaches the village. It is instantly understood
by the whole tribe, and the joyful intelligence is received with shouts
of thanks to their strange god and to mystery men and the dancers, who
have been the immediate cause of the successful result.

During my residence in the Camanche village, these dances were sometimes
kept up for two or three weeks without intermission, until the buffaloes
made their appearance.

Hence the buffalo dance can never fail, and the Indians consider it an
infallible means of bringing the herds into the