LAWSON'S HISTORY 69 



cles and kness were hung bells of several sorts ; 

 having wooden falchions in their hands, (such as 

 stage fencers commonly use) ; in this dress they 

 danced about an hour, showing many strange 

 gestures, and brandishing their wooden weapons 

 as if they were going to fight each other ; often- 

 times walking very nimbly round the room, with- 

 out making the least noise with their bells, a 

 thing I much admired at ; again turning their bo- 

 dies, arms and legs, into such frightful postures, 

 that you would have guessed they had been quite 

 raving made : at last, they cut two or three high 

 capers and left the room. In their stead came in 

 a parcel of women and girls, to the number of 

 thirty odd, every one taking place according to 

 her degree of stature the tallest leading the 

 dance and the least of all being placed last ; with 

 these they made a circular dance, like a ring rep- 

 resenting the shape of the fire they danced about. 

 Many of these had great horse bells about their 

 legs and small hawk bells about their necks. 

 They had musicians, who were two old men, one 

 of whom beat a drum, while the other rattled with 

 a gourd that had corn in it to make a noise with- 

 al. To these instruments they both sung a mourn- 

 ful ditty ; the burthen of their song was, in re- 

 membrance of their former greatness, and num- 

 bers of their nation, the famous exploits of their 

 renowned ancestors, and all actions of moment 

 that had, in former days, been performed by their 

 forefathers. 



