and facing the "Great Mystery," and there he remained, naked,
erect, silent, and motionless, exposed to the elements and forces
of His arming, for a night and a day to two days and nights, but
rarely longer. Sometimes he would chant a hymn without words, or
offer the ceremonial "filled pipe." In this holy trance or ecstasy
the Indian mystic found his highest happiness and the motive power
of his existence.

When he returned to the camp, he must remain at a distance
until he had again entered the vapor-bath and prepared
himself for intercourse with his fellows. Of the vision or sign
vouchsafed to him he did not speak, unless it had included some
commission which must be publicly fulfilled. Sometimes an old man,
standing upon the brink of eternity, might reveal to a chosen few
the oracle of his long-past youth.

The native American has been generally despised by his white
conquerors for his poverty and simplicity. They forget, perhaps,
that his religion forbade the accumulation of wealth and the
enjoyment of luxury. To him, as to other single-minded men in
every age and race, from Diogenes to the brothers of Saint
Francis, from the Montanists to the Shakers, the love of
possessions has appeared a snare, and the burdens of a complex
society a source of needless peril and temptation. Furthermore, it
was the rule of his life to share the fruits of his skill and
success with his less fortunate brothers. Thus he kept his spirit
free from the clog of pride, cupidity, or envy, and carried out, as
he believed, the divine decree--a matter profoundly important to
him.