SwANTON] INDIAKS OP THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES 763 



when he desires that that sacrifice be made to him, he talks with them and 

 tells them he is thirsty and that they should offer a sacrifice to him. (Robertson, 

 1933, p. 42.) 



Farther south among the Calusa Indians, we again find this cus- 

 tom. Laudonniere says, on the authority of a Spaniard who had 

 been a captive there, that the Calusa chief had persuaded his subjects 



that his sorceries and charms were the causes that made the earth bring forth 

 her fruit ; and, that he might the easier persuade them that it was so he retired 

 himself once or twice a year to a certain house, accompanied by two or three of 

 his most familiar friends, where he used certain enchantments ; and, if any man 

 intruded himself to go to see what they did in this place, the king immediately 

 caused him to be put to death. 



Moreover, they told me, that, every year, in the time of harvest, this savage 

 king sacrificed one man, which was kept expressly for this purpose, and taken 

 out of the number of the Spaniards, which, by tempest, were cast away upon 

 the coast. (Laudonniere, 1586, p. 132; Swanton, 1922, p. 388.) 



Lopez de Velasco has the following to say on this subject : 



Every time that a son of the cacique dies, each neighbor sacrifices (or kills) his 

 sons or daughters who have accompanied the dead body of the cacique's son. 



When the cacique himself, or the caciqua dies, every servant of his or hers, as 

 the case may be, is put to death. 



Each year they kill a Christian captive to feed their idol, which they adore, 

 and they say that it has to eat every year the eyes of a man, and then they all 

 dance around the dead man's head. ( Swanton, 1922, p. 389. ) 



We have two rather good accounts of ceremonies performed by the 

 Indians of the southeast coast of Florida. The first took place at Hobe 

 among the Jeaga Indians : 



Night being come and the moon being up, an Indian, who performed their 

 ceremonies, stood out, looking full at the moon, making a hideous noise, and cry- 

 ing out, acting like a mad man for the space of half an hour, all the Indians being 

 silent till he had done; after which they made a fearful noise, some like the 

 barking of a dog, wolf, and other strange sounds ; after this, one got a log and 

 set himself down, holding the stick or log upright on the ground, and several 

 others got about him, making a hideous noise, singing to our amazement; at 

 length their women joined the concert, and made the noise more terrible, which 

 they continued till midnight. (Dickenson, 1803, p. 19; Swanton, 1922, p. 396.) 



At Ais between the 18th and 25th of August Dickenson was witness 

 of a ceremonial resembling in some measure the Creek busk, though 

 these Indians were not agriculturalists : 



It now being the time of the moon's entering the first quarter the Indians had 

 a ceremonious dance, which they began about 8 o'clock in the morning. In the 

 first place came in an old man, and took a staff about 8 feet long, having a broad 

 arrow on the head thereof, and thence halfway painted red and white, like a 

 barber's pole. In the middle of this staff was fixed a piece of wood, shaped like 

 unto a thigh, leg, and foot of a man, and the lower part of it was painted black. 

 This staff, being carried out of the cassekey's 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 foot of the staff. Another 



