. Shores and Alps of Alaska . gether, keeping time to the jerks of the shawaans TROUBLE WITH THE INDIANS. 129 head and body. This old medicine-man is quiteblind, having been deprived of his sight in a fightwith another medicine-man. Next morning some Yakatat women came tothe tent ostensibly to trade some curios. Theirreal object was different. They had broughtwith them one of our baking-powder tins, whichcontained a white powder, and which they thoughtmust be no good,for all the Indianswho had eaten ofbread baked withthis powder were -now lying ill; someof them being Sit-kans, besides ourguide
. Shores and Alps of Alaska . gether, keeping time to the jerks of the shawaans TROUBLE WITH THE INDIANS. 129 head and body. This old medicine-man is quiteblind, having been deprived of his sight in a fightwith another medicine-man. Next morning some Yakatat women came tothe tent ostensibly to trade some curios. Theirreal object was different. They had broughtwith them one of our baking-powder tins, whichcontained a white powder, and which they thoughtmust be no good,for all the Indianswho had eaten ofbread baked withthis powder were -now lying ill; someof them being Sit-kans, besides ourguide, Bear Hunter,and his family. The Professor recognised the powder, which waspure arsenic. While at Icy Bay, Dalton had takensome of the drug (used for preserving objects ofnatural history) to poison a bait for foxes half a milefrom camp at the head of the lagoon, and had care-lessly utilised a baking-powder tin for carrying thepoisonous mineral. One of the Indians had foundthe tin near the line of march; it was promptly taken. A Yakatat Medicine-Man. i3o SHORES AND ALPS OF ALASKA. from him by the Professor and given to Dalton tobe destroyed. He had, however, merely hidden same Indian, with his thievish propensities, hadsought it out again, concealing it this time inanother Indians bundle, who had brought it withhim to Yakatat (to cause misery, illness, and sub-sequently death to three persons). To pick up andmake use of articles discarded or thrown away asuseless is an unconquerable habit with the AlaskanIndian. Mr. Schwatka, in his western experiences on theplains, has known instances where the perniciousstuff has been the cause of deaths amongst a huntingparty by a precisely similar mistake. As the medicine chest was among the things atIcy Bay, nothing could be done but to recommendhot salt water immediately as an emetic. TheProfessor endeavoured to superintend, but wasnot allowed even to use one of their kettles forfomentations for fear of contamination with thesick.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectindiansofnorthamerica, bookyear1887
