290 TRAVELS THROUGH UPPER CANADA: 
fellow into one of tlie men’s dances,, which is 
considered as a very great mark of favour. 
This is of a piece with the general conduct 
of the Indians, who look upon the'women in 
a totally different light from what we do in 
Europe, and condemn them as slaves to do all 
the drudgery. I have seen a young chief with 
no less than three women attendant on him to 
, v 
run after his arrows, when he was amusing 
himself with shooting squirrels; I have also 
seen Indians, when moving for a few miles 
from one place to another, mount their horses 
and canter away at their ease, whilst their 
women were left not only to walk, but to carry 
very heavy loads on their backs after them. 
After the women had danced for a time, 
a larger fire was kindled, and the men as¬ 
sembled from different parts of the island, to 
the number of fifty or sixty, to amuse them¬ 
selves in their turn. There was little more 
variety in their dancing than in that of the 
women. They first walked round the fire in a 
large circle, closely, one after another, mark¬ 
ing time with short steps to the music ; the 
best dancer was put at their head, and gave 
the step; he was also the principal singer in 
the circle. After having made one round, the 
step w as altered to a wider one, and they be¬ 
gan to stamp with great vehemence upon the 
ground; and every third or fourth round. 
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