a warrior in his robe, with his face painted jet-black, in token that
he had lately taken a Pawnee scalp. Passing these, the tall dark lodges
rose between us and the red western sky. We repaired at once to the
lodge of Old Smoke himself. It was by no means better than the others;
indeed, it was rather shabby; for in this democratic community, the
chief never assumes superior state. Smoke sat cross-legged on a buffalo
robe, and his grunt of salutation as we entered was unusually cordial,
out of respect no doubt to Shaw's medical character. Seated around the
lodge were several squaws, and an abundance of children. The complaint
of Shaw's patients was, for the most part, a severe inflammation of the
eyes, occasioned by exposure to the sun, a species of disorder which
he treated with some success. He had brought with him a homeopathic
medicine chest, and was, I presume, the first who introduced that
harmless system of treatment among the Ogallalla. No sooner had a robe
been spread at the head of the lodge for our accommodation, and we
had seated ourselves upon it, than a patient made her appearance; the
chief's daughter herself, who, to do her justice, was the best-looking
girl in the village. Being on excellent terms with the physician, she
placed herself readily under his hands, and submitted with a good grace
to his applications, laughing in his face during the whole process, for
a squaw hardly knows how to smile. This case dispatched, another of
a different kind succeeded. A hideous, emaciated old woman sat in the
darkest corner of the lodge rocking to and fro with pain and hiding
her eyes from the light by pressing the palms of 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.