come the shrill "Woo-coohoo!" at the top
of a boy's voice, announcing the bringing in of a deer. Immediately all
the other boys took up the cry, each one bent on getting ahead of the
rest. Now we all saw the brave Wacoota fairly bent over by his burden, a
large deer which he carried on his shoulders. His fringed buckskin shirt
was besprinkled with blood. He threw down the deer at the door of his
wife's mother's home, according to custom, and then walked proudly
to his own. At the door of his father's teepee he stood for a moment
straight as a pine-tree, and then entered.

When a bear was brought in, a hundred or more of these urchins were wont
to make the woods resound with their voices: "Wah! wah! wah! Wah! wah!
wah! The brave White Rabbit brings a bear! Wah! wah! wah!"

All day these sing-song cheers were kept up, as the game was brought
in. At last, toward the close of the afternoon, all the hunters had
returned, and happiness and contentment reigned absolute, in a fashion
which I have never observed among the white people, even in the best
of circumstances. The men were lounging and smoking; the women actively
engaged in the preparation of the evening meal, and the care of the
meat. The choicest of the game was cooked and offered to the Great
Mystery, with all the accompanying ceremonies. This we called the
"medicine feast." Even the women, as they lowered the boiling pot,
or the fragrant roast of venison ready to serve, would first whisper:
"Great Mystery, do thou partake of this venison, and still be gracious!"
This was the commonly said "grace."

Everything went smoothly with us, on this occasion, when we first
entered the woods. Nothing was wanting to our old way of living. The
killing of deer and elk and moose had to be stopped for a time, since
meat was so abundant that we had no use for them any longer. Only the
hunting for pelts, such as those of the bear, beaver, marten, and otter
was continued. But whenever we lived in blessed abundance, our braves
were wont to turn their thoughts to other occupations--especially the
hot-blooded youths whose ambition it was to do something noteworthy.

At just such moments as this there are always a number of priests in
readiness, whose vocation it is to see into the future, and each of whom
consults his particular interpreter of the Great Mystery. (This ceremony
is called by the white people "making medicine.") To the priests the
youthful braves hint their impatience