CH. VI.] STRANGE CEREMONIAL. 249 



June 28. — The natives did not appear in the morning, as 

 we had expected, but at three in the afternoon, their voices 

 were again heard in the woods. I ordered all the men to be 

 on the look out, and when the natives came near, I sent 

 Burnett towards them, once more with a branch, but with 

 orders to retire upon any indication of defiance. It turned 

 out, as I had supposed, that their curiosity and desire to get 

 something more, had brought them forward again. An old 

 man was at length prevailed on to join Burnett, and to sit 

 down by him. This was effected, however, but very slowly, 

 the others standing at a great distance, and some who re- 

 mained in the rear, still making signs of defiance. Others 

 of the tribe at length joined the old man, but they prepared 

 to return on my approach, recognising me perhaps as the 

 owner of the pistol. On seeing this, I directed Burnett to 

 give a clasp-knife to the old man, who seemed much pleased 

 with the present. They next made a move towards the spot 

 where the blacksmith was at work, commencing at the same 

 time a kind of jjrofessional chaunt, and slowly waving their 

 green boughs. The appearance of one of these men, in par- 

 ticular, was very odd. There was evidently some superstition 

 in the ceremony, this personage being probably a coradje or 

 priest. He was an old man with a large beard and bushy 

 hair, and the lower part of his nose was wanting, so that the 

 apex of that feature formed more than a right angle, giving 

 him an extraordinary appearance. None, except himself and 

 other ancients, wore any kind of dress ; and this consisted of 

 a small cloak of skins fastened over the left shoulder. While 

 the man from the woods waved his bough aloft, and chaimted 

 that monotonous hymn, an idea of the ancient druids arose 

 in my mind. It was obvious the ceremony belonged to some 

 strange superstition. He occasionally turned his back to- 

 wards each of us, like " the grisly priest with murmuring 

 prayer;" he touched his eye-brows, nose, and breast, as if 

 crossing himself, then pointed his arm to the sky ; afterwards 

 laid his hand on his breast, chaunting with an air of remark- 



