212 BUFFALO DANCE BY TONKAWAYS. 



" Great White Queen/' and that we were very welcome to their 

 country, all in it being at our service, and then hinting that 

 anything coming from us would be very much valued: on 

 which we said a few words through an interpreter of the 

 pleasure it gave us to see a tribe of which we had heard so 

 much ; that we thanked them for their welcome, and hoped 

 they would accept some tobacco and beads, which we handed 

 round. 



After this the dance began two old Indians playing on 

 the " torn torn/' and chanting a very hideous accompaniment. 

 The men and women danced together a thing I had never 

 seen before among Indians forming a circle, and going 

 through some shuffling steps, repeating a prayer to the Great 

 Spirit for success in their next hunt, and for protection against 

 their enemies the Comanches. This was kept up for about 

 an hour, some sitting down and others taking their places, 

 even the elder children joining in. We were asked to take 

 part in the dance, but the partners were not sufficiently tempt- 

 ing, so we contented ourselves with looking on. One old 

 fellow whom I sat near had a necklace made of the finger- 

 and toe-joints of a Comanche he had killed some years before; 

 and he was evidently very proud of it, refusing to sell it to 

 me, though I offered what to him was a long price. Killing 

 a Comanche seemed a very rare event, for they had divided 

 the man amongst them one having the scalp, another the 

 ears, which he had dried and hung round his neck. 



These Indians never trust themselves far from a fort, except 

 when acting as scouts, dreading the Comanches and being 

 despised by them. We tried to get one of them to act as our 

 guide, but no offer would tempt them when they heard that we 



