302 SOCIAL AND WARLIKE CUSTOMS 



and the leader commenced to fast from day to day until the time for 

 their departure arrived. In commencing their journey, if by land, the 

 leader put himself at the head of his party, consisting generally of 

 from thirty to forty warriors. If they had to perform a part of their 

 journey by water, he took his seat about the middle of the canoe, 

 where he had to stand up and sing a war song as they started, with a 

 rattle, or medicine ball, in his right hand, made of hide, about the 

 size of a cricket ball, having a small handle, and containing a few dry 

 bones. When shaken it made a sharp sound, something like the 

 noise of a rattlesnake. From the day of their setting out the war 

 party fasted every day until noon. Their rules of war required them 

 to be in perfect harmony with each other, never to make use of an 

 expression which might wound the feeling of any of their party ; and 

 to abstain from all conversation about women and personal enemies at 

 home. They were not to kill a bird, fish, or any other animal, unless 

 required for food. Although the leader was foremost in rank, he had 

 but little to do vdth the arrangements of the camp or their journey 

 during the day. These were under the management of two other 

 warriors of some experience. They ordered the men to rest when 

 they thought proper, and directed them to proceed again. It was 

 also their duty to remonstrate with the men in the evening, if any 

 difficulty arose during the day. Many of the rules of war were of a 

 singularly arbitrary character, in their minute requirements for avert- 

 ing ill-luck. It was against their rules to sit upon a log when they 

 took rest : every man was obliged to sit upon the ground. If anv one 

 ■took his seat on a log, without thinking, down he went upon his back 

 before he knew where he was, as there were men appointed to the 

 duties of the provost marshal, with strict orders to watch and punish 

 every one they saw transgressing the articles of war. When they 

 came to a fallen tree they might creep under, otherwise they had to 

 go round, as they were not allowed to go over it. They were not to 

 take fuel or bark from the side of a tree in the direction of their 

 journey, but only in the direction where they came from. If, some- 

 times, on a rainy day, they wished to take the bark from the dry side 

 of a tree that stood towards their journey, one of them took an axe, 

 and two others, each holding a dish filled with mud, the axe-man gave 

 a war-whoop, and all the three ran to the tree, and as he removed the 

 bark with haste, the other two were busily engaged in plastering the 

 stripped portion of the tree with the mud. It was the duty of the 

 cook to give the word to rise by daylight every morning, which all 



