LIFE IN THE FAR WEST 45 



pole, and encircling it, danced in perfect silence round 

 it for a few moments. Then they burst forth with an 

 extempore song, laudatory of the achievements of their 

 victorious braves. They addressed the scalps as "sisters," 

 (to be called a squaw is the greatest insult that can be 

 offered to an Indian,) and, spitting at them, upbraided 

 them with their rashness in leaving their lodges to seek 

 for Yuta husbands ; " that the Yuta warriors and young 

 men despised them, and chastised them for their for- 

 wardness and presumption, bringing back their scalps 

 to their own women." 



After sufficiently proving that they had anything but 

 lost the use of their tongues, but possessed, on the con- 

 trary, as fair a length of that formidable weapon as any 

 of their sex, they withdrew, and left the field in undis- 

 puted possession of the men ; who, accompanied by tap 

 of drum, and by the noise of many rattles, broke out 

 into a war-soug, in which their own valour was by no 

 means hidden in a bushel, or modestly refused the light 

 of day. After this came the more interesting ceremony 

 of a warrior " counting his coups." 



A young brave, with his face painted black, mounted 

 on a white horse mysteriously marked with red clay, 

 and naked to the breech-clout, holding in his hand a 

 long taper lance, rode into the circle, and paced slowly 

 round it ; then, flourishing his spear on high, he darted 

 to the scalp-pole, round which the warriors were now 

 seated in a semicircle ; and in a loud voice, and with 

 furious gesticulations, related his exploits, the drums 

 tapping at the conclusion of each. On his spear hung 



