32 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 190 



did not weep, for fear of being thought effeminate and lacking in 

 courage (S 159).^^ 



Sometimes an enemy would escape. To distract the pursuer, he 

 would throw his wampum necklaces far behind him so that a pursuer, 

 by picking them up, gave the prisoner a head start. Sagard thought 

 that this was why the Indians usually wore all their finest necklaces 

 and paintings on the warpath (S 160). 



"W^ien they came upon an enemy, they said sahien^ "sit down," and 

 the captive did so unless he preferred being knocked over on the 

 spot or dying in defense of himself. He surrendered, hoping to 

 escape later. In one case, tv/o or three Hurons, each desiring 

 to be credited with taking an Iroquois prisoner, could not agree, and 

 made the captive decide. He used the opportunity to say that "So 

 and so took me and I am his prisoner," but purposely told a falsehood 

 so that the man who really took him captive would be dissatisfied. 

 That man did speak to the prisoner in secret the following night, 

 saying "You have given and adjudged yourself to another instead of 

 to me who had taken you, and for this reason I would rather set you 

 free than that he should have the honor due to me" and then untied 

 his hands and made him secretly escape (S 160-161) . 



When the Huron captured an enemy, they made a speech about the 

 cruelties he and his people practiced toward them and said that he 

 must make up his mind to endure as much. They told him to sing, 

 if he had enough courage, during the whole course of their journey 

 home. He did this, singing a song that was often very sad and 

 mournful. While awaiting the hour of his death, they feasted him 

 continually "in order to fatten him and give him more strength and 

 vigor, that he may the better endure injuries and slow torture, and 

 not out of kindness and pity" (S 158-159) . 



One of the first acts after a prisoner had been taken was to tear 

 out his nails or cut off his fingers ( JE 17 : 101 ; 18 : 31 ; 33 : 93) . They 

 also cut his shoulders and back with a knife, bound him tightly and, 

 mocking him, led him to the village where he was to be tortured ( JR 

 18 : 31) . In one case, the people went out to meet the prisoners at 500 

 paces from the village. Armed with clubs, thorns, knives, and fire- 

 brands, they formed two lines and struck the prisoners until they 

 reached the platform where they were to be tortured. Each captive 

 was bound, both arms and feet, and was naked except for a wampum 



*i Huron and Iroquois prisoners were either adopted into the tribe or tortured to death 

 (see footnote 35, p. 28). As is apparent in the following description, the torture was a 

 religious ceremonial. Knowles (1940 : 215, 219) has suggested that this rite was similar to 

 the Mexican one, both having a cardiac emphasis, death by knife, eating of victims, use of a 

 platform, and sacrifice to the sun or war god. A white dog may have been substituted 

 in more recent times (in the 18th and 19th centuries) for the human sacrifice (Knowles 

 1940:214). 



