f both hands against
her face. At Smoke's command, she came forward, very unwillingly, and
exhibited a pair of eyes that had nearly disappeared from excess of
inflammation. No sooner had the doctor fastened his grips upon her than
she set up a dismal moaning, and writhed so in his grasp that he lost
all patience, but being resolved to carry his point, he succeeded at
last in applying his favorite remedies.

"It is strange," he said, when the operation was finished, "that I
forgot to bring any Spanish flies with me; we must have something here
to answer for a counter-irritant!"

So, in the absence of better, he seized upon a red-hot brand from the
fire, and clapped it against the temple of the old squaw, who set up an
unearthly howl, at which the rest of the family broke out into a laugh.

During these medical operations Smoke's eldest squaw entered the lodge,
with a sort of stone mallet in her hand. I had observed some time before
a litter of well-grown black puppies, comfortably nestled among some
buffalo robes at one side; but this newcomer speedily disturbed their
enjoyment; for seizing one of them by the hind paw, she dragged him out,
and carrying him to the entrance of the lodge, hammered him on the head
till she killed him. Being quite conscious to what this preparation
tended, I looked through a hole in the back of the lodge to see the
next steps of the process. The squaw, holding the puppy by the legs, was
swinging him to and fro through the blaze of a fire, until the hair was
singed off. This done, she unsheathed her knife and cut him into small
pieces, which she dropped into a kettle to boil. In a few moments
a large wooden dish was set before us, filled with this delicate
preparation. We felt conscious of the honor. A dog-feast is the greatest
compliment a Dakota can offer to his guest; and knowing that to refuse
eating would be an affront, we attacked the little dog and devoured him
before the eyes of his unconscious parent. Smoke in the meantime was
preparing his great pipe. It was lighted when we had finished our
repast, and we passed it from one to another till the bowl was empty.
This done, we took our leave without further ceremony, knocked at the
gate of the fort, and after making ourselves known were admitted.

One morning, about a week after reaching Fort Laramie, we were holding
our customary Indian levee, when a bustle in the area below announced
a new arrival; and looking down from our balcony,