BWAHTOW] EARLY HISTORY OF THE CREEK INDIANS 397 
and fool ofa man, and the lower part of it was painted black. This staff, being carried 
nut of the caseekey'a house, was set fast in the ground standing upright, which being 
done he brought out a basket containing six rattles, which were taken out thereof 
and placed at the fool of the staff. Another old man came in and set up a howling 
like unto a mighty dog, but beyond him for length of breath, withal making a procla- 
mation. Thi.< being done and most of them having painted themselves, some red, 
some black, sonic with black and red, with their bellies girt up as tight as well they 
could trirt themselves with ropes, having their sheaths of arrows at their backs and 
their bows in their hands, being gathered together about the staff, six of the chiefest 
men in esteem amongst them, especially one who is their doctor, took up the rattles 
and began an hideous noise, standing round the staff with their rattles and bowing to 
it without ceasing for about half an hour. Whilst these six were thus employed all 
the rest were staring and scratching, pointing upwards and downwards on this and 
the other side, even' way looking like men frightened, or more like furies. Thus they 
behaved until the six had done shaking their rattles; then they all began to dance, 
violently stamping on the ground for the space of an hour or more without ceasing, in 
which time they sweat in a most excessive manner, so that by the time the dance was 
over, by their sweat and the violent stamping of their feet, the ground was trodden 
into furrows, and by morning the place where they danced was covered with maggots; 
thus, often repeating the manner, they continued till about 3 or 4 o'clock in the after- 
noon, by which time many were sick and faint. Being gathered into the cassekey's 
house they sat down, having some hot casseena ready, which they drank plentifully 
of, and gave greater quantities thereof to the sick and faint than to others; then they 
eat berries. On these days they eat not any food till night. 
The next day, about the same time, they began their dance as the day before; also 
the third day they began at the usual time, when many Indians came from other 
towns and fell to dancing, without taking any notice one of another. This day they 
were stricter than the other two days, for no woman must look upon them, but if any 
of their women went out of their houses they went veiled with a mat. 1 
The fact that the castaways had an abundance of fish and berries 
to eat on the 25th probably had something to do with the ceremony, 
feasting being a constant preliminary accompaniment of fasting. 
The day after (i. e., the 26th) Dickenson says: 
We observed that great baskets of dried berries were brought in from divers towns 
and delivered to the king or young cassekey, which we supposed to be a tribute to the 
king of this town, who is chief of all the towns from St. a Lucia to the northward of 
this town of Jece. 2 
These presents were probably rather to discharge social obligations 
or secure the good will of the chief than actual tribute, and it is to 
be suspected that they had some connection with the ceremony just 
concluded. 
Altogether the culture of the people of Ais and the east Florida 
coast generally seems to have belonged with that of Calos. Its 
simplicity was partly due, without doubt, to the poverty of the 
country; in fact, in later times the economic condition was con- 
siderably advanced by frequent wrecks along the coast, though 
at the same time native industry must have been proportionately 
1 Dickenson, Narrative, pp. 52-54. » Ibid., p. 54. 
