THE MULE DEER. 309 



We witnessed this dance, but it differed in no way from 

 their ordinary rude jumping and stamping in a circle, ex- 

 cept that the warriors wore masks made of buffalo-heads, 

 or the skins of the animal thrown over their shoulders, 

 while they sung, or rather yelled, some rude refrain, the 

 leading part being taken by the medicine-man. 



All carried their rifles, or bows and arrows, in their 

 hands, and went through the ceremony of shooting and 

 cutting up imaginary buffaloes, and offering the best pieces 

 to the Great Spirit. When a warrior became fatigued he 

 retired, and his place was taken by another ; and so the 

 ceremony was continued, perhaps, for days at a time. 



After looking at it as long as we wished, we left the 

 camp and moved toward the burial-ground, and, on ap- 

 proaching it, we heard loud wailing again. This cemetery 

 was certainly novel, if not interesting, to look at; for sev- 

 eral mummy-like bodies, which were tightly wrapped in 

 old clothes or buffalo-hides, were placed on poles or trees, 

 and a number of skulls and bones were strewn over the 

 ground. The feet of all pointed toward the rising sun ; 

 and beside them were placed bows and arrows, old rifles, 

 camp utensils, and such other articles as they were sup- 

 posed to need in the happy hunting-grounds. The skins 

 of mustangs and dogs were placed on tall poles in some 

 places, these useful companions being intended to accom- 

 pany the braves in their wanderings through the unknown 

 land. 



They do not always get rid of their dead in this manner, 

 however ; for if they are on the march they stick the body 

 into any hole they meet, covering it lightly with stones, 

 branches, and dirt; and a squaw or unimportant person- 

 age does not even receive this rude sepulture, very often, 

 but is left to rot on the ground, or is tumbled into a preci- 

 pice, to be devoured by wild animals. A chief or famous 

 brave is always buried with much barbaric pomp, and food 

 is carried to him for several days, so that he may not want 

 for pabulum on his long journey to his everlasting abode. 

 The squaws often visit the remains of their kindred in the 



