306 THE MAIDU. 
relative, is then added to his baby-name. For ten days following the ini- 
tiation he must refrain from all flesh meat, and eat nothing but acorn-por- 
ridge. : 
As a special favor the Konkau on Round Valley Reservation per- 
mitted a few of us to witness (or rather hear) one of their secret meetings, 
for everything is shrouded in profound darkness. When we entered the 
lodge of Tiim’-yan-neh (Captain George)—they had no assembly-house— 
they requested us to extinguish our lanterns. There was a feeble fire in 
the middle of the house, but before anything was done one of the sextons 
covered it all up, and several times during the exercises, when the smallest 
possible spark of fire became visible through the ashes, we would see some- 
thing creep stealthily over it and it would wink out. 
There was a silence of some minutes in the impenetrable darkness, then 
the sacred rattle (described in the above legend) began a low, ominous quiv- 
ering close to the ground, in which there was sufficient suggestion of a rattle- 
snake to make one feel chilly about the scalp. Presently one of the four 
performers, apparently lying on his belly and holding his mouth close to 
the ground, began to give forth a series of blubbering, gurgling sounds and 
nasal whining, with frequent intermissions, growing shorter all the while as 
the tone of his voice rose. At the same time the rattle rose up slowly, gain- 
ing a little in force, until finally it shot wp all at once, and seemed to dart 
about the top of the room with amazing rapidity, giving forth terrific rattles 
and low, buzzing quavers, now and then bringing up against the post with 
a thud of the holder’s fist. 
One of the performers now begins to utter petitions with a rapid mum- 
bling, to which another responds simply heh! (yes), or with a few words, 
or by repeating the petition. This strange fanfaronade goes on for several 
minutes, then all of the four performers strike up a verse of the sacred songs 
(given below), which they repeat six or eight times, accompanied by all in 
the house, ina low voice; then there is a sharp sh! quickly followed by a 
“tioer”, This is done four or five times; then another verse of the song 
is taken up. When they have sung for about half or three-quarters of an 
hour without cessasion the rattle grows fast and furious, the performer’s fist 
goes tunk, tunk, tunk on the post with great violence, the singers’ voices 
