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Show INDIAN FRIENDS AND FOES. 449 POINT II. Amities and Enmities. At the present time 5 we must suppose at peace all the nations which inhabit the banks of the Rios Gila and Colorado, with the others adjoining ( colateroks) except the Yabipais Tejua, who in some way have remained enemies of the Pimas and Cocomaricopas Gilenos; but as it is not possible to rely with confidence upon a state of things so unstable ( pero como no se puede contar sobre seguro con ajuste tan de held; and being shown their evident delusion, the abuse was stopped." But why was this considered a delusion and an abuse, unless the padres wanted a monopoly of the business of praying for rain? Nothing is more orthodox or commoner than for Christians of all sects to invoke heaven for rain and all other sorts of favors. Did the padres fear that the Indian ceremonial of incantation might be not less efficacious than their own? Indeed they were too firm believers in their own powers of causing vapor to condense from the clouds, " with God's help," to imagine for a moment that the heathen could have anything like the same ability. Yet this ability, or disability, was identical in the two cases- Arcades ambo! But an Indian was never known to dance for rain and not get it, because he continued to dance till it came, if he had to dance all summer; in which respect his religion was superior to that of the missionaries. 1 En el dia de hoy-- literally, " in the day of to- day." |