(generally, in the former case, those which the departed thought most of) are shot and placed under the scaffold.  The idea in this is that the spirit of the horse will accompany and be of use to his spirit in the “happy hunting grounds,” or, as these people express it, “the spirit land.”

When an Indian dies, and in some cases even before death occurs, the friends and relatives assemble at the lodge and begin crying over the departed or departing one.  This consists in uttering the most heartrending, almost hideous wails and lamentations, in which all join until exhausted.  Then the mourning ceases for a time until some one starts it again, when all join in as before and keep it up until unable to cry longer.  This is kept up until the body is removed.  This crying is done almost wholly by women, who gather in large numbers on such occasions, and among them a few who are professional mourners.  These are generally old women and go whenever a person is expected to die, to take the leading part in the lamentations, knowing that they will be well paid at the distribution of goods which follows.  As soon as death takes place, the body is dressed by the women in the best garments and blankets obtainable, new ones if they can be afforded.  The crowd gathered near continue wailing piteously, and from time to time cut locks of hair from their own heads with knives, and throw them on the dead body.  Those who wish to show their grief most strongly, cut themselves in various places, generally in the legs and arms, with their knives or pieces of flint, more commonly the latter, causing the blood to flow freely over their persons.  This custom is followed to a less degree by the men.

A body is seldom kept longer than one day as, besides the desire to get the dead out of sight, the fear that the disease which caused the death will communicate itself to others of the family causes them to hasten the disposition of it as soon as they are certain that death has actually taken place.

Until the body is laid away the mourners eat nothing.  After that is done, connected with which there seems to be no particular ceremony, the few women who attend to it return to the lodge and a distribution is made among them and others, not only of the remaining property of the deceased, but of all the possessions, even to the lodge itself of the family to which he belonged.  This custom in some cases has been carried so far as to leave the rest of the family not only absolutely destitute but actually naked.  After continuing in this condition for a time, they gradually reach the common level again by receiving gifts from various sources.

The received custom requires of women, near relatives of the dead, a strict observance of the ten days following the death, as follows:  They are to rise at a very early hour and work unusually hard all day, joining in no feast, dance, game, or other diversion, eat but little, and