swANTON] EARLY HISTORY OF THE CREEK INDIANS 895 
by the Spaniards is called Casseena, boiling the said leaves, after they had parched 
them in a pot; then with a gourd, having a long neck, and at the top of it a small hole, 
which the top of one's finger could cover, and at the side of it a round hole of two inches 
diameter. They take the liquor out [ofj the pot, and put it into a deep round bowl, 
which being almost filled, contains nigh three gallons; with this gourd they brew the 
liquor and make it froth very much; it looks of a deep brown colour. In the brewing 
of this liquor was this noise made, which we thought strange; for the pressing of the 
gourd gently down into the liquor, and the air it contained being forced out of a little 
hole at the top, occasioned a sound, and according to the time and motion given, would 
be various. The drink when made cool to sup, was in a shell first carried to the casse- 
key, who threw part of it on the ground and the rest he drank up, and then made a 
loud hem; and afterwards the cup passed to the rest of the cassekey's associates as 
aforesaid ; but no other person must touch or taste of this sort of drink; of which they 
sat sipping, chattering, and smoking tobacco, or some other herb instead thereof, for 
the most part of the day. ' 
The evening festivities which followed were much after the same 
style. 
In the evening we being laid on the place aforesaid [on mats on the floor], the In- 
dians made a drum of a skin, covering therewith the deep bowl, in which they brewed 
their drink, beating thereon with a stick; and having a couple of rattles made of a small 
gourd, put on a stick with small stones in it, shaking it, they began to set up a most 
hideous howling, very irksome to us; and some time after came many of their young 
women, some singing, some dancing. This continued till midnight, after which they 
went to sleep. 2 
All this was at the town of Santa Lucia, and there also the Penn- 
sylvanians had an opportunity to observe the ceremony with which 
an ambassador from another chief was received. In this case the 
emissary was from the chief of Ais, who, as has been said, seems to 
have been considered the superior of the chief of Santa Lucia and all 
other chiefs in that region. Says Dickenson: 
About the tenth hour we observed the Indians to be in a sudden motion, and the 
principal part of them betook themselves to their houses; the cassekey went to dress- 
ing his head and painting himself, and so did all the rest; after they had done, they 
came into the cassekey's house and seated themselves in order. In a small time after 
came an Indian with some small attendance into the house making a ceremonious 
motion, and seated himself by the cassekey, and the persons that came with him 
seated themselves amongst the others; after a small pause the cassekey began a dis- 
course which held him nigh an hour, after which, the strange Indian and his com- 
panions went forth to the water side to their canoe, lying in the sound, and returned 
presently with such presents as they had brought, delivering them to the cassekey and 
those sitting by, giving an applause. The presents were a few bunches of the herb 
they had made their drink of and another herb they use instead of tobacco, and some 
plaited balls stuffed with moss to lay their heads on instead of pillows; the ceremony 
being ended, they all seated themselves again and went to drinking casseena, smoking, 
and talking during the stranger's stay. 3 
Soon after several of the white people were themselves asked to 
take seats in the cabin, beside the chief — an evident mark of honor. 2 
■ Dickenson, Narrative, pp. 33-36. 3 Ibid., pp. 36-37. 
» Ibid., p. 36. 
