198 INDIAN PREPARATION. [1763. 



ing the deeds which he describes, yelling the war- 

 whoop, throwing himself into all the postures of 

 actual fight, striking the post as if it were an 

 enemy, and tearing the scalp from the head of the 

 imaginary victim. Warrior after warrior follows 

 his example, until the whole assembly, as if fired 

 with sudden frenzy, rush together into the ring, 

 leaping, stamping, and whooping, brandishing 

 knives and hatchets in the fire-light, hacking and 

 stabbing the air, and breaking at intervals into a 

 burst of ferocious yells, which sounds for miles 

 away over the lonely, midnight forest. 



In the morning, the warriors prepare to depart. 

 They leave the camp in single file, still decorated 

 with all their finery of paint, feathers, and scalp- 

 locks ; and, as they enter the woods, the chief fires 

 his gun, the warrior behind follows his example, 

 and the discharges pass in slow succession from 

 front to rear, the salute concluding with a general 

 whoop. They encamp at no great distance from 

 the village, and divest themselves of their much- 

 prized ornaments, which are carried back by the 

 women, who have followed them for this purpose. 

 The warriors pursue their journey, clad in the 

 rough attire of hard service, and move silently and 

 stealthily through the forest towards the hapless 

 garrison, or defenceless settlement, which they 

 have marked as their prey. 



The woods were now filled with war-parties 

 such as this, and soon the first tokens of the 

 approaching tempest began to alarm the unhappy 

 settlers of the frontier. At first, some trader or 



