76 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 69 
sation. And here, sometimes, in very cold weather, the old and 
naked sleep. In all transactions which require secrecy, the rulers meet _ 
here, make their fire, deliberate and decide.”’ 
The peculiarity of a fire of split canes, “laid in a spiral circle,” as 
mentioned in the preceding description, attracted the attention of 
Bartram. As witnessed by him, many pieces of split cane, about 2 
feet in length, were prepared, “then placed obliquely crossways 
upon one another on the floor, forming a spiral circle round about 
the great centre pillar, rising to a foot or eighteen inches in height 
from the ground; and this circle spreading as it proceeds round and 
round, often repeated from right to left, every revolution encreases 
its diameter, and at length extends to the distance of ten or twelve 
feet from the centre, more or less, according to the length of time 
the assembly or meeting is to continue. By the time these prepara- 
tions are accomplished, it is night, and the assembly have taken 
their seats in order. The exterior extremity or outer end of the 
spiral circle takes fire and immediately rises into a bright flame (but 
how this is effected I did not plainly. apprehend; I saw no person 
set fire to it; there might have been-fire left on the hearth, however 
I neither saw nor smelt fire or smoke until the blaze instantly as- 
cended upwards), which gradually and slowly creeps round the 
centre pillar, with the course of the sun, feeding on the dry canes, 
and affords a cheerful, gentle and sufficient light until the circle is 
consumed, when the council breaks up.” (Bartram, W., (2), pp. 
449-450.) 
This was certainly a singular manner of adding warmth and light 
to the interior of the council house, and the same writer remarked 
in another work ((1), p. 27.) : 
“The Spiral Fire, on the hearth or floor of the Rotunda, is very 
curious; it seems to light up in a flame of itself at the appointed 
time, but how this is done I know not.”’ 
The four structures bounding a typical Creek town ‘‘square” 
were clearly described by Hawkins, who wrote about the year 1800. 
All were of equal size, covering a space of about 40 by 16 feet, 8 
feet pitch, of one story, ‘the entrance at each corner. Each building 
is a wooden frame, supported on posts set in the ground, covered 
with slabs, open in front like a piazza, divided into three rooms, the 
back and ends clayed, up to the plates. Each division is divided 
lengthwise, into two seats; the front, two feet high, extending back 
half way, covered with reed mats or slabs; then a rise of one foot, 
and it extends back, covered in like manner, to the side of the build- 
ing. On these seats they lie or sit at pleasure.”’ 
The structure facing the east was the ‘‘ Mic-co’s cabin,” the center 
apartment always being occupied by the village chief, or Mico, and 
here would be received the chiefs of other towns, the Indian agent, 
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