126 An account of the War Customs of the Osages. [Fe 
lieutenants and heralds can swim and wash their faces. 
resume their march, and by and by they meet a foe whom they 
attack. Let us suppose that they kill him. The first man who 
strikes him gets the first honor, and the second honor is given to 
the next who gives a blow. The scalp is handed to the Hañ 
captain, who gives it to the Cheezhoo captain, saying, “ Here 
that for which you employed me.” The corpse is laid with the 
head to the east. The Hañka captain makes a hole on the right 
side of the chest into which is thrust the standard with sen 
feathers of the Hañka men, the feathers pointing to the west 
The Cheezhoo makes a hole on the left side of the corpse int 
which is stuck the principal Cheezhoo standard. The seco 
Hañka standard-bearer places his standard, with six feathers, ® 
tween the right arm and the chest; and the second Cheezi0® 
standard-bearer puts his between the left arm and the side. i 
Should they lose one of their own men at this place, they 
up the body against a tree or bank, using most of their 1 
painting him all over. They break four arrows which the 
by him, and they leave some paint there. After mourning 
their own dead, they will mourn for the foe just as if he 
friend. At certain intervals (answering to every two OF 
hours, as we reckon time), the standard-bearers tell the cap® 
to command the warriors to mourn. Before they reach hom? 
the trophies, including the scalps, are placed on a pole, at! 
they charge, firing four times at it. : 
When they have lost one of their party they neither eat 
drink till they have poured out food and water for the 
When they come to a post oak they strip it of the bark for T 
five feet from the ground; they paint the tree red, break 
arrows and leave them by the tree with some paint. : 
When they approach the village, they cannot enter it if 
have lost any of their party; but they must stop, in that 
about one or two hundred yards from it. The principal mat 
1A similar custom is practiced by the Dakotas when they cut down t 
for their sacred pole, more than two hundred years ago. The Oma i 
their pole, on that occasion, represented an enemy, and a scalp was put Pi 
in accordance with that notion, A race for a tree also occurs whet = ig 
young men go to cut down one for the dance after the thanksgiving for? ti 
the buffalo hunt. Further investigation of this custom may reveal : 
facts. 
