Old Time Indians. 73 
the applicant was placed naked in the centre of the house, while the oldest captain, 
with a whip made of krowa fibre, lashed him unmercifully from top to toe : 
the thong was then handed to the next oldest captain, who repeated the 
flagellation and so on with the remaining ones. The Caciques and the large 
audience which were present kept strict silence: if they heard the slightest 
groan or observed the least sign of pain they cancelled the application, and 
stopped him from undergoing the two remaining ordeals. Granted, however, 
that he passed the test successfully, he was greeted with shouting, applause and 
congratulations, and then everybody got drunk. 
The necessary time having elapsed for his wounds to become cured and healed, 
the candidate’s next step was to procure another large quantity of drink, when 
a day would be appointed for the meeting of the Chapter so to speak. 
Slung up in a cotton hammock and completely covered in its folds, the 
aspirant for captain’s honours was tied up in it with three cords—one at his head, 
a second at his feet, and a third round his middle. Each captain then raised 
the folds of the hammock from the sides, and dropped within it a caneful of 
vicious ants. If the candidate heaved so muchas asigh, or made the slightest 
involuntary movement (though the ants bit his eyelashes or other equally delicate 
areas) he was considered to have failed. Otherwise, he was correspondingly 
congratulated on having passed the test. 
The third ordeal which might be described as something infernal was carried 
out as follows. The judges and people generally having been assembled, a 
hurdle woven of small canes—large enough for the candidate to rest on,—and 
covered with a varying number of plantain | leaves was slung about a yard from 
the ground. Lying upon his back upon this rack or scaffold, a hollow cane stem, 
about a yard in length, was put into the candidate's mouth for him to breathe 
through. He was then covered from head to foot, both on top and at the sides, 
with plantain leaves, care being taken that those covering the head and chest 
were broken through to make room for,and to beattached to, thecane which was 
fixed vertically. When completely covered and enveloped in this mass of leaves, 
a fire was lighted below. This was what might be called a mild slow fire because 
although the flames only just licked the hurdle, they in reality caused very great 
heat to the unlucky sufferer. In the meantime certain of the leaders busied them- 
selves in stirring up the fire, others in limiting it, some would watch very intently 
to see if the victim moved or not while others would strain ev ery nerve to tell 
by the breathing, whether the candidate was weak or strong. After a certain 
time, the Searched leaves were removed. If the anniiatel were found dead, 
the ceremony was brought to a close with mournful lamentation. But if still 
alive, everybody would be jubilant, there would be a lot of shouting, all ending 
with drinks to the health of the new Captain. 
All the tribes had their sports, games and amusements, the Otomacs being 
specially singled out by the fact that the suffragettes were in full force, so far as 
the equality of the sexes in the public gamas were concerned. 
The study of linguistics offers a wide field to any enquirer who undertakes to 
work it. I myself am two far advanced in years to do it. In the course of my 
own reading of the old literature I have, however, noted many an interesting 
word although I have only concerned myself with those which have been intro- 
