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Show 202 WESTERN WILDS. maiden's ear by moonlight. Love ( between the sexes) is slem- lem- an-dah- moucli- wah- ger. A girl must be delighted to hear a fellow say he has a good deal of that for her. Mr. Robertson, with the aid of an interpreter, " has adapted our alphabet to the language, and published a series of books with trans-lations of many of our hymns. These we heard at the Mission Sab-bath School, which was also a delightful surprise in its way. I felt all the enthusiasm of the occasion when the seventy sweet voices, led by Miss Robertson with an organ, took up the strain of " Shall we gather at the River?" in the Creek. Here is the first verse : BEAUTIFUL RIVER. Uerakkon teheceyvr haks Cesvs em estolke fullan Cesvs liket a fihnet os Hoyayvket fihnet os. CHOETJS Momos rnon teheceyvres Uerakko herusen escherusen Mekusapvlken etohkv liket Fulleye inunkv tares. C is pronounced as ch in child, e as i in pin, v as short u; y between two vowels unites with the preceding one to form a diphthong, and with the latter is pronounced as y; a is pronounced ah as in father, and all other letters as in English. Thence we continued our survey of the Creek country by leisurely journeys among the farmers. The soil is generally fertile, while almost every dwelling is the center of a beautiful grove of fruit trees, at that season green with springing leaves, or white and red with blossoms, giving off the sweet scents of advancing spring. The people as a rule are simple, civil and hospitable; the Nation contains several churches aggregating a thousand members. But the natural tendency, as with other Indians, is towards a sort of fatalism. Among all the races in the Territory conjurers are found, and the testimony is universal that they never fail to cure snake- bites. There is not a dissenting statement from white, black or red ! If you ask the more intelligent how they explain it, the answer generally is.- " I don't explain it; I don't believe in conjuration; I only know the cure is certain." The conjurer uses no medicine but a small leaf of tobacco or other plant, which he holds upon his tongue while pro-nouncing the charm. He applies it then to the bite, pressing it smartly with the ball of his thumb, and in less than twenty- four hours the patient is entirely well. At noon of a bright April day we return to the railroad at Mus- |
