UNPLEASANT EEFLECTIONS. 331 



tomahawks in their right hands and holding knives in their 

 left. Each man was given a chance of telling his exploits, the 

 others joining in now and then with a loud note of praise, 

 when any more than usually daring deed was recounted, and at 

 the end of each man's recital all of them sang a sort of war- 

 chant, striking with their tomahawks and using their knives 

 as if scalping an enemy, dancing furiously in the meanwhile ; 

 and this went on till every man had made the most of his 

 warlike deeds, when some whiskey which had been got from 

 the ranche was handed round, and we then left, though we 

 could hear them singing and shouting most of the night. 



It gave one a very curious feeling to think that many of 

 those present were declared enemies of the whites, and had 

 probably been committing atrocities within the last few days, 

 and that if they met us anywhere else they would attack us at 

 once. I mentioned to Tendoi on our return what had hap- 

 pened to me, on which he said, " You safey ; you my white 

 brother ! " and I really think that he would have killed the man 

 who tried to kill me. 



