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twice - and the enmity becomes general and his practice and emoluments decrease accordingly - the third time the tribe takes the matter in hand by strangulating the poor devil whose late patient has scarcely time to grow cold before the Doctor is sent to keep him company. The worst of the dismal joke is that there is no backing out of the profession - the rule of once a Doctor, always a Doctor is unalterable - there is no jumping about as with us, from a cobbler to a Methodist Preacher.
Since the troops of which the writer is part have been stationed at Camp Mohave a case occurred in which nothing but the interposition of the Commanding Officer, Major Woodruff, and of the other officers at the post, saved the unlucky Doctor's life who, in default of death, was expatriated.
Like all other Indians, the Mahhaos are very superstitious in regard to the dead. They ascribe dreams to invisible visits from their deceased relatives and friends who come to whisper to them tidings of of joy or warnings of coming fate; and it may be taken for certain that dreams materially influence their actions.
If one of their number dies upon a trail or road while proceeding on a journey or on his way from one house to another the road is carefully barred and closed by throwing brambles across it and another is made while the old one is thenceforward carefully avoided; for they believe that the spirit of the dead hovers near it for an indefinite length of time - whether for good or evil is an open question which they have no wish to determine.
Night finds them huddled together in their villages waiting with anxiety for daylight to drive the shadows away. In their season of festivities excepted for, they hold to the axiom that strength is the product of