he lodge hooting wildly.
The former carried the square (the concentrated winds), which he placed
over the sick man's head. Hostjoghon carried a turkey wand in each hand,
and these he waved over the invalid's head and hooted; this was repeated
four times, and each time the gods ran out of the lodge. Hasjelti wore a
velvet dress, but Hostjoghon's body was nude, painted white. This wild,
weird ceremony over, the sick man arose and the song-priest gathered the
turkey wands from around the painting, while an attendant erased it by
rubbing his hands over the sand to the center. The sands were gathered
into a blanket and carried out of the lodge and deposited some distance
away from the lodge, where the sun could not generate the germ of the
disease. The sand is never touched by any one when once carried out,
though before the paintings are erased the people clamor to touch them,
and then rub their hands over their own bodies that they may be cured of
any malady. The invalid, after putting on his clothes, returned to his
family lodge. A group then gathered around the spot where the paintings
had been and joined in a weird chant, which closed the fifth day's
ceremony.

[Illustration: Plate CXX. FIRST SAND PAINTING.]

SIXTH DAY.

Preparations for a great sand painting began at daylight. Sand for the
ground work was carried in in blankets; the fire which had burned
through the previous ceremonies was first removed and all traces of it
covered with sand. As the artists were to begin the painting with the
center of the picture only a portion of the ground color was laid at
first, in order to enable them to work with greater facility. While the
ground color was being laid a man sat on one side of the lodge grinding
with a metate and mixing the colors. A quantity of coals were taken from
the exhausted fire from which to prepare black paint. A small quantity
of red sand was mixed with the charcoal to give it body or weight. The
colors used in this sand painting have all been referred to in the
description of the rainbow over the sweat house. After the central
portion of the ground work for the painting was smoothed off a Jerusalem
cross was drawn in black. The eye usually was the only guide for drawing
lines, though on two occasions a weaving stick was used. As a rule four
artists were employed, one beginning at each point of the cross. Each
arm of the cross was completed by the artist who began the work. For
illustration