THE HARVEST FULL-MOON DANCE. 275 



much longer on my way than I had anticipated, for, although 

 the moon rendered it almost as light as day in the open, a 

 great portion of the route was under dense foliage, where it 

 was very dark ; and there were so many diverging and cross 

 trails from garden to garden, and " wickee-up" to wickee-up, 

 that it was quite bewildering. Several times I went to 

 different wickee-ups to inquire my direction, but invariably 

 found them deserted, except by an occasional old woman and 

 children ; the latter always running away and hiding, while 

 from the former I generally failed to get any comprehensible 

 signs. At last, coming within sound of the music, I found 

 my way to the place. 



The ceremony was in course of progress in a large 

 grassy natural glade a sort of savanna which was sur- 

 rounded by a wide border of immense cottonwood-trees, 

 and a dense undergrowth of mesquites, canes, and vines. 

 The dancers were in motion, and near to them, under a 

 large tree standing out a little way in the opening, sat, in 

 a semicircle, the musicians; while, close to the trunk of 

 the tree, stood a group of old braves, apparently in charge 

 of, and mounting guard over, what seemed to be a barrel 

 covered with a robe. One of this group, immediately upon 

 its being recognised who and what I was, motioned to me 

 to join them. On doing so, I found my surmise as to the 

 covered object being a barrel was correct. The old savage 

 who had beckoned to me, partially uncovering it, took a 

 gourd drinking-cup, dipped it in, and presented it to me 

 to drink from. A whiff told me what was in the cup; 

 but a refusal being impossible under the circumstances, I 

 accepted it from his hand. Fortunately, although a tem- 



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