l8 HUNTING AND FISHING IN FLORIDA. 



with white leather moccasins and leggings and a white deerskin 

 on his shoulders, went at daybreak to the center of the village and 

 started a lire, which he did only after considerable difficulty, by 

 rubbing two dry sticks together. Four young men then approached 

 from the four corners of the square, each carrying an oak log. 

 They advanced towards the fire with great ceremony, and deposited 

 their logs end to end, pointed to the four points of the compass. 

 After these logs had become well ignited four other young men 

 came forward, each carrying an ear of new corn, which the medi- 

 cine man took from them and placed upon the fire, where they were 

 consumed. Then four other young men approached carrying a 

 quantity of the " cassina " plant, from which the black drink is 

 manufactured. Some of the leaves were placed on the fire and 

 consumed, after which the remainder was immediately dried and 

 cooked for use. 



The warriors and other males of the tribe having assembled, they 

 proceeded to drink the black drink in the usual manner. During 

 the first day's ceremon}^ no women were allowed to approach the 

 fire, and it is a question whether they were allowed admittance on 

 the second or third days. The third day was spent by the young 

 men in hunting and fishing. On the fourth day the whole town 

 assembled, including men, women, and children, and the game 

 killed on the previous day was cooked and served for a great feast, 

 and the day was spent in eating, drinking, and dancing. Large 

 pots of sofkee were placed about and a wooden spoon was constantly 

 at its side so that any one wishing to partake of it could do so. 

 The method of making sofkee in the old days was to boil a quantity of 

 pounded corn until it formed a soup of the consistency of rather thin 

 gruel : to this was added a small quantity of lees made from ashes of 

 hickory wood. The soup thus made kept for several days in cov- 

 ered pots. At the present time sofkee is made of boiled corn 

 and hominy, without the addition of the lees made from hickory 

 wood. The Indians squat about the kettle, each one drinking 

 a spoonful of the mixture in turn, using the same large wooden 

 spoon. 



