story is true he may have long life, but if it is false his life may end in a short time.  The pipe is then filled and lighted, and passed to the man, who has seen and overheard what has been done and said.  The medicine man says to him:  “Accept this pipe, but remember that, if you smoke, your story must be as sure as that there is a hole through this pipe, and as straight as the hole through this stem.  So your life shall be long and you shall survive, but if you have spoken falsely your days are counted.”  The man may refuse the pipe, saying, “I have told you the truth; it is useless to smoke this pipe.”  If he declines to smoke, no one believes what he has said; he is looked upon as having lied.  If, however, he takes the pipe and smokes, every one believes him.  It is the most solemn form of oath.  The Blackfoot pipes are usually made of black or green slate or sandstone.

The Blackfeet do not whip their children, but still they are not without some training.  Children must be taught, or they will not know anything; if they do not know anything, they will have no sense; and if they have no sense they will not know how to act.  They are instructed in manners, as well as in other more general and more important matters.

If a number of boys were in a lodge where older people were sitting, very likely the young people would be talking and laughing about their own concerns, and making so much noise that the elders could say nothing.  If this continued too long, one of the older men would be likely to get up and go out and get a long stick and bring it in with him.  When he had seated himself, he would hold it up, so that the children could see it and would repeat a cautionary formula, “I will give you gum!” This was a warning to them to make less noise, and was always heeded—­for a time.  After a little, however, the boys might forget and begin to chatter again, and presently the man, without further warning, would reach over and rap one of them on the head with the stick, when quiet would again be had for a time.

In the same way, in winter, when the lodge was full of old and young people, and through lack of attention the fire died down, some older person would call out, “Look out for the skunk!” which would be a warning to the boys to put some sticks on the fire.  If this was not done at once, the man who had called out might throw a stick of wood across the lodge into the group of children, hitting and hurting one or more of them.  It was taught also that, if, when young and old were in the lodge and the fire had burned low, an older person were to lay the unburned ends of the sticks upon the fire, all the children in the lodge would have the scab, or itch.  So, at the call “Look out for the scab!” some child would always jump to the fire, and lay up the sticks.