OF THE ODAHWHH INDIANS. 303 



were expected to obey instantly ; any man, wlio thought proper to 

 wait for a second warning, was favored with it by upsetting a kettle 

 full of cold water ovfir his head, when he had to rise, whether he liked 

 or not. Before they set out in the morning they fixed their hair in a 

 military style. In taking their meals they all commenced, and were 

 expected to finish at the same time. On their quitting, the chief's 

 messenger came round with a kettle of cold water, and poured some 

 into the dish of every man. All the meat he found in them he threw 

 towards the direction where they came from the previous day. The 

 expedition was generally accompanied by two magicians, clairvoyants, 

 who were supposed to be acquainted with some secret craft, by means 

 of which, -mth. the assistance of demons, they were enabled to discern 

 objects at the distance of at least a day's journey all around the camp. 

 The practice of scalping appears to have been adopted in the first 

 instance by the warriors in order to convince their people on their 

 return that they had actually killed the enemy; and, to dispel all 

 doubts, they exhibited the scalps as the best proof of their success. 

 After the war party had accomplished their purpose, the rules were 

 not so strictly observed, and travelling homeward the leader walked 

 behind instead of at the head of his men. If they took any prisoners 

 they generally brought them home, to be put to death afterwards. 

 There were various ways of getting rid of their prisoners. One plan 

 was to make a nest, say about ten feet from the grouiad, of small 

 sticks, covered with straw. The prisoner was brought to the foot of 

 the tree. If he was a brave warrior he gave a war-whoop, went up 

 and placed himself in the nest. A man of less courage sometimes 

 fainted at the foot of the tree, and the bystanders were obliged to put 

 him in the nest. The next thing was to set fire to the nest, and as it 

 was composed of light materials, when the prisoner fell on the ground, 

 he was only partially burnt ; his wrists were then cut about half way, 

 and in that state he was let loose upon the crowd, and it was believed 

 that every one he struck was doomed to die soon. Another way was 

 to dig a hole in the ground about ten feet deep and five paces in 

 diameter, at the bottom of which a large fire was made. In the 

 meantime one of the crowd was sent into the woods to bring in a sap^ 

 ling. This was stripped of its bark and laid across the crater. The 

 prisoner was then ordered to walk upon it, if he missed his steps he 

 was of course plunged at once into the fiery gulf beneath his feet ; but 

 if he succeeded in reaching the other side he was immediately liber- 

 ated, admitted into the community, and was from that time considered 

 as a member of the tribe. 



