74. IN THE OLD WEST 



and bears, and bearing long peeled wands of 

 cherry in their hands, occasionally emerged to tend 

 a very small fire which they had kindled in the 

 center of the open space ; and when a thin column 

 of smoke arose, one of them planted the scalp- 

 pole obliquely across the fire. Squaws in robes 

 of white dressed buckskin, garnished with beads 

 and porcupines' quills, and their faces painted 

 bright red and black, then appeared. These 

 ranged themselves round the outside of the square, 

 the boys and children of all ages, mounted o-n 

 barebacked horses, galloping round and round, 

 and screaming with eagerness, excitement, and 

 curiosity. 



Presently the braves and warriors made their 

 appearance, and squatted round the fire in two 

 circles, those who had been engaged on the ex- 

 pedition being in the first or smaller one. One 

 medicine-man sat under the scalp-pole, having a 

 drum between his knees-, which he tapped at inter- 

 vals with his hand, eliciting from the instrument 

 a hollow monotonous sound. A bevy of women, 

 shoulder to shoulder, then advanced from the four 

 sides of the square, and some, shaking a rattle- 

 drum in time with their steps, commenced a jump- 

 ing, jerking dance, now lifting one foot from the 

 ground, and now rising with both, accompanying 

 the dance with a chant, which swelled from a low 

 whisper to the utmost extent of their voices — 

 now dying away, and again bursting into vocifer- 



