INDIANS. 31 



that case are allowed a reasonable time to fulfil their promise ; 

 and they are generally earnest of themselves, in their endea- 

 Tours to put the guilty to death to save an innocent person. 



This right of judging, and taking satisfaction, being vested 

 in the family or tribe, is the sole cause why their treaty stipu- 

 lations on this head never have been executed. In like man- 

 ner, a prisoner taken in war is the property of the captor and 

 his family, it being optional with his captor to kill or save 

 him at the time. And this right must be purchased ; and it is 

 now the practice, introduced within a few years, for the nation 

 to pay. The practice has been introduced by the agent for 

 Indian affairs, and he pays on the orders of the chiefs, out of 

 the stipend allowed by the United States to the Creeks. 

 Claims of this sort of seventeen years standing, where the pris- 

 oner has been delivered to the order of the chiefs, have been 

 revived, allowed, and paid. 



Boos-KE-TAu. — This annual festival is celebrated in the 

 month of July or August. The precise time is fixed by the 

 Mic-co and counsellors, and is sooner or later, as the state of 

 the affairs of the town or the earliness or lateness of their corn; 

 will suit for it. In Cussetuh this ceremony lasts for eight 

 days. In some towns of less note it is but four days. 



First Day. — In the morning, the warriors clean the yard- 

 of the square, and sprinkle white sand, when the a-cee (decoc- 

 tion of the cassine yupon) is made. The fire-maker makes 

 the fire as early in the morning as he can, by friction. The 

 warriors cut and bring into the square, four logs, as long each, 

 as a man can cover by extending his two arms ; these are- 

 placed in the centre of the square, end to end, forming across,, 

 the outer ends pointed to the cardinal points ; in the centre of 

 the cross the new fire is made. During the first four days 

 they burn out these four logs. 



The pin-e-bun-gau (turkey dance) is danced by the wo- 

 men of the turkey tribe ; and while they are dancing the pos- 

 sau is brewed. This is a powerful emetic. The possau is 

 drank from twelve o'clock to the middle of the afternoon. 

 After this, the Toc-co-yule-gan (tadpole) is danced by four 

 men and four women. In the evening, the men dance E-ne- 

 hou-bun-gau, the dance of the people second in command. 

 This they dance till daylight. 



