possessions, of the valor of his warriors, and above all of the great
wisdom and learning of his medicine-man, who was beyond all wizards, and
upon whom witchcraft was powerless, and who prepared a poison for such
of the chief's enemies as it was not expedient to openly destroy; and
this poison, he explained to me, was of a secret and mysterious nature,
and unknown to any other tribe.

"My curiosity was somewhat aroused, and I questioned him, whereupon he
told me that the drug, being tasteless, was given in food or drink, and
that the victim was seized with a terrible and immeasurable sadness and
depth of despair, in which life appeared too horrible to endure, and
which the unfortunate always ended by seizing a weapon of some sort and
killing himself; and the chief, being of an inquiring mind, had caused
the poison to be administered to a man who was carefully guarded and
allowed no weapon.

"'And what did he do?' I queried, for the chief assured me that the drug
itself did not produce death, but only caused an irresistible desire for
it.

"The chief did not reply in words, but with a meaning smile, pointed to
a vein on his black wrist, and set his sharp, pointed teeth against it,
in a way that was a reply.

"I was anxious to see for myself, naturally, suspecting some
hocus-pocus, so I ventured to be respectfully dubious.

"The chief was in an amiable mood; he bade me visit his tent with my
servant at moon-rise, and he would prove that this was no lie, but the
truth.