hom they mourned. The dead
man again took his place among those who sat beside the household fire.
Tears of grief were shed no more--food was given to Ahaktah, and when he
was refreshed he thus addressed his wondering family:--

"While you were weeping for me, my spirit was on its way to the great
city where our fathers, who have taught us all the wonders of our sacred
medicine, of Haokah the giant, and of the Thunder bird, are now living.
Twice has the sun ceased to shine since I left you, and in that short
time I have seen many strange things. First, I passed through a
beautiful country; the forest-trees were larger than any you have ever
seen. Birds of all colors filled them, and their music was as loud as
when our medicine men play for us to celebrate the scalp dance. The
broad river was full of fish, and the loon screamed as she swam across
the lakes. I had no difficulty in finding my way, for there was a road
through this country. It seemed as if there must have been many
travellers there, though I saw no one.

"This great road was made by the spirits of those who were killed in
battle. No warrior, however brave he may have been, has ever assisted in
making this road, except those who sang their death songs under the
tomahawk of their enemies. Neither did any woman ever assist. She is not
considered worthy to touch the war implements of a Dahcotah warrior, and
she was not permitted to do anything towards completing the path in
which the braves of the Dahcotahs would walk, when they joined their
forefathers in the land of spirits.

"As I pursued my journey, I saw near the banks of the river a teepee; I
entered it, and saw paint and all that a warrior needed to dress himself
in order to be fit to enter the city of spirits. I sat down and plaited
my hair, I put vermilion on my cheeks, and arranged the war-eagle
feathers in my head. Here, I said to myself, did my father rest when he
was on the same journey. I was tired, but I could not wait--I longed to
see my friends who had travelled this path before me--I longed to tell
them that the Dahcotahs were true to the customs of their forefathers--I
longed to tell them that we had drunk deep of the blood of the
Chippeways, that we had eaten the hearts of our enemies, that we had
torn their infants from their mothers' breasts, and dashed them to
the earth.

"I continued my journey, looking eagerly around me to see some one, but
all was desolate; and beautiful as everyth