110 CAMP-FIRES OF A NATURALIST. 



ing to the wild, barbaric music, brought back to the 

 mind of the naturalist the scenes with which he had 

 been so familiar in childhood. 



The monotonous sound increased in volume, and 

 then the signal for the dance was given. Two squaws 

 selected one man, and the three took their places in 

 the circle, continuing until the circle was complete. 

 The ten cowboys and their twenty squaws then began 

 a peculiar " crow-hopping " dance, varied with a heel- 

 and-toe motion, each movement being made in uni- 

 son, the circle rising and falling to the sound of the 

 drum. For an hour the performance continued, 

 and then an intermission was taken, while one 

 of the musicians passed a hat this was the only 

 ceremony which he had retained from the teaching 

 of the missionaries. The result of the collection be- 

 ing satisfactory, the performance began again, and 

 continued with these hourly intermissions and hat- 

 passings until daylight. 



In the intermissions the squaws varied the enter- 

 tainment by occasionally throwing their shawls 

 over the heads of the cowboys, as an intima- 

 tion that on the payment of a quarter the cowboy 

 could have the privilege of kissing the squaw. To 

 Dyche the price seemed exorbitant, but the cowboy 

 taste appeared to be different, and they eagerly ac- 

 cepted the invitation. During the evening the 

 naturalist had been an interested onlooker, with no 

 idea of joining in the fun ; but Zilpha and Cessonia 

 had been so favourably impressed with his generosity 

 in giving them double price for their moccasins that 

 they asked him to be their partner in a dance. He 



