But after he had done this
with many men he indeed became strong and active.
Then the chief's son said, "I will teach you quickness of sight, so
that you may perceive animals while hunting, though other men may not.
Take a handful of moose's hairs; hold them firmly in a roll between
your thumb and finger; hold them up in a high wind and let them go. So
you will be able to perceive, in time, all the moose. And to see deer,
or any other animal, you must take their hair and treat it in the same
way." So he did; and by means of this magic became so keen of sight
that he beheld every beast.
Yet again the chief's son said, "Would you see birds where no other men
can?" And he, assenting, was told to strip the feathery part from a
bird's quills (_chekakadega_), and, blowing it into the air, look
carefully in the direction in which it flew. And having practiced this
also, he became very perfect in the art. [Footnote: The secret of these
spells is very apparent. But the teacher would make the pupil believe
that the successful result would greatly depend on the color and kind
of the fur or feathers employed. It is curious to observe how, in the
over-refinement of "sport" among gentlemen, the idea that this or that
is "good form" and "the correct thing," which _must_ be done, has
had the effect of establishing much which is mere fetich.
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